El Oro ( Spanish: El Oro ) is a province in Ecuador .
| provinces | |||||
| El oro | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Provincia de El Oro | |||||
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| A country |  Ecuador | ||||
| Includes | 14 cantons | ||||
| Adm. center | Machala | ||||
| the governor | Edgar Cordoba | ||||
| prefect | Montgomery Sanchez | ||||
| History and Geography | |||||
| Date of formation | 1884 | ||||
| Area | 5 850 km² (17th place ) | ||||
| Height | |||||
| Timezone | UTC -5 | ||||
| Population | |||||
| Population | 600 659 people ( 2010 ) ( 6th place ) | ||||
| Density | 102.68 people / km² (6th place) | ||||
| Digital identifiers | |||||
| ISO 3166-2 Code | EC-O | ||||
| Official site | |||||
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Content
- 1 Geography
- 2 History
- 3 Administrative divisions
- 4 Economics
Geography
The province of El Oro is located in the southwestern part of Ecuador. In the west, it is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in the south it passes the border of Ecuador and Peru. Its area is 5 850 km². The administrative center is the city of Machala , located on the Pan American Highway running along the coast.
A large, western part of the province of El Oro falls on a fertile plain, in which the southern part, due to the Humboldt current passing along the coast, has a dry climate - the rest lies in humid tropics. The eastern part, near the border with the province of Loja , lies in the foothills of the Andes and has a mild climate. Here you can find rare species of birds and orchids, there are also gold deposits that gave the name of the province ( El Oro in Spanish means gold ).
In the south of El Oro, near the border with Peru, there is a “stone forest” near the Puyango River - an area of 27 km² covered with petrified trees up to 11 meters high, from 70 to 100 million years old. There are also numerous remains of dinosaurs and other fossil animals.
The province also includes the Hambeli archipelago and the island of Santa Clara lying on its coast.
History
El Oro Province was formed on April 23, 1884. In 1941, during the Peruvian-Ecuadorian war , there were heavy battles between the advancing Peruvian troops and the Ecuadorian units that were inferior in numbers and weapons to them. As a result of the bombing and shelling of local cities and villages of the province, it would cause significant damage. After the hostilities, El Oro was occupied by Peruvian troops, which were withdrawn only in 1942.
The prefect of the province is Montgomery Sanchez. The Governor appointed by the President of Ecuador is Edgar Cordoba.
Administrative Division
Administratively divided into 14 cantons:
| No. | Flag | Canton | Population, people (2001) | Administrative center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| one | Arenillas | 22 477 | Arenillas | |
| 2 | Atahualpa | 5,479 | Paccha | |
| 3 | Balsas | 5,348 | Balsas | |
| four | Chilla | 2,665 | Chilla | |
| 5 | El Guabo | 41,078 | El Guabo | |
| 6 | Wacillas (Huaquillas) | 40,285 | Wacillas (Huaquillas) | |
| 7 | Las Lajas | 4,781 | La Victoria | |
| 8 | Machala | 217 696 | Machala | |
| 9 | Marsabeli | 4 930 | Marsabeli | |
| 10 | Pasaje | 62,959 | Pasaje | |
| eleven | Piñas | 23,246 | Piñas | |
| 12 | Portovelo (Portovelo) | 11 024 | Portovelo (Portovelo) | |
| 13 | Santa Rosa | 60 388 | Santa Rosa | |
| fourteen | Saruma (Zaruma) | 23,407 | Saruma (Zaruma) |
Economics
El Oro Province is one of Ecuador's leading banana harvesters. Cocoa is also grown in large quantities here, and in the east of the province in the foothills - coffee. Shrimp fishing and export are also of great importance. The World Banana Fair is held annually in El Oro, at which the “Queen of Bananas” is elected. 85% of Ecuadorian banana exports go through the local port of Puerto Bolivar . The province also concentrates agricultural processing and food processing enterprises.