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GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR
Date Established: June 1987, under Mayor Kathryn Whitmire
GEOGRAPHY Location: Ecuador is located in the northwest corner of South America,
bordering Colombia and Peru. The equator crosses through the capital city,
Quito. Guayaquil is on the west coast of the country at the mouth of the
Gulf of Guayaquil.
PEOPLE Ethnicity: Spanish, Native Indian, African
ECONOMY Natural Resources: Oil and gas,
agricultural products
HISTORY The Spanish conquistador Sebastian De Benalcazar founded the original European settlement in 1535 and in 1537, the present town was established. In 1922 Guayaquil was the scene of the fateful meeting between Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, the principal leaders of the struggle for South American independence. Destroyed in 1942 by an earthquake, much of the city has since been rebuilt. The discovery of oil in the early 1970s led to an oil boom and modernization of the city.
FACTS
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT Head of State: President Gustavo Noboa Bejarano Type: Parliamentary Republic. Ecuador has a president, a unicameral legislature, and an independent judiciary. Elections are held every four years. All those between the ages of 18 and 65 have the right to vote, but those who are literate must vote.
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT Head of City: Mayor Jaime Nebot (since August 2000)
An Educational Packet Prepared for the Houston International Protocol Alliance by Kathleen Silva
Ecuador is a country located in South America. It got its name because the equator runs through the country. The equator is an imaginary line that we use to divide the earth into a northern half and a southern half. (Can you find the equator on a world map?) Ecuador is a small country. It is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Like the United States, there are many different cultures and ethnic groups represented in Ecuador. There are indigenous people, Hispanics, blacks, mestizos (people of mixed origin) and immigrants from all over the world. There are four major regions of Ecuador: (1) La Costa, a coastal plain that has rich agricultural land; (2) La Sierra, a highland region with volcanoes and snow-capped mountains; (3) La Amazonia, a tropical rainforest; and (4) the Galápagos Islands, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Guayaquil (WHY-uh-KEEL)is the largest city in Ecuador. Guayaquil is located in the coastal region of Ecuador. Like Houston, it has a large port. This means that large ships come into and out of the city. Ships that come into Guayaquil often bring machines, electronics, and other goods from all over the world. Ships that go out of the city carry bananas, shrimp, timber, and other products to Houston and many other places on the globe. Guayaquil and Houston have been sister cities since 1987. As sister cities, Houston and Guayaquil participate in cultural and business exchanges. The citizens establish friendships. As friends, we help each other in need. Firefighters in Houston have worked with firefighters in Guayaquil for many years. They teach them new ways to fight fires and have provided them with used fire equipment from Houston. The
Galapagos Islands The Galápagos Islands are very special to scientists all over the world. These islands are famous because they are home to many animals and plants that you cannot find anywhere else in the world! Scientists use the islands to research the unique plants and animals. There are also many tourists who come to visit the Galápagos. And of course, there are Ecuadorians who live on the islands. All the people have to be very careful when they are on the island. They must take care of the environment and all the plants and animals so that we can study and enjoy them for a long, long time.
Here is a picture of marine iguanas. These iguanas are very unique. They eat seaweed that grows on rocks. Even though they are land animals, they can also swim very well and stay underwater for up to one hour! This is a female sea lion. The male sea lions have dark skin and are much fatter! Sea lions live on several of the islands and spend most of their time swimming and eating fish. Did you know...?
I grow IN ECUADOR. CAN YOU GUESS WHAT I AM?Match
the description on the left to the picture on the right
Did you know...?
A Taste of Guayaquil The people of Guayaquil eat a lot of the same foods that we eat in Houston. For example, they eat rice, soup, bananas, meat, eggs and vegetables. One of the most popular foods in Guayaquil is called a plantain. A plantain looks like a big green banana, but it doesn’t taste like a banana! The plantain can be cooked in many ways – it can be baked, boiled, or fried like french fries or potato chips. When the plantain is very ripe, it is black on the outside and bright yellow on the inside. A ripe plantain is very sweet and can be cooked with sugar and eaten as dessert. People in Guayaquil also eat a lot of seafood because the city is so close to the ocean. They like shrimp, crabs and all kinds of fish. Here is a recipe for an Ecuadorian dish with shrimp called ceviche (pronounced suh-VEE-chay) that you can try. Be sure and have an adult help you make it.
ECUADORIAN CEVICHE
INGREDIENTS 1 lb. raw shrimp Tabasco sauce to taste 1 large red onion juice of one orange 4-5 cups fresh squeezed lime juice unbuttered, salted popcorn
DIRECTIONS Clean and peel the shrimp and set aside. Have an adult slice the onion into very thin rings. Salt the onions and barely cover them with boiling water. (This takes away the strong flavor, but keeps them crisp.)
Toss the shrimp with the onion and water, and cover the entire combination with freshly squeezed lime juice. Add a few drops of Tabasco sauce and the orange juice. Cover the bowl and let the mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator. (The acid in the lime will “cook” the shrimp.)
Serve the dish cold with popcorn. As you eat, toss some of the popcorn into the juice to sop it up.
HOLA!
Let's Learn Some Spanish The people in Ecuador and Guayaquil speak Spanish. Spanish is also spoken in many other countries, such as our neighbor, Mexico. Do you know anyone who speaks Spanish? Maybe you already know some Spanish words. Below is a game you can play with your classmates to help you learn to count to ten in Spanish. Have fun!
THE NUMBERS GAMEWith your teacher, practice saying the numbers from 1 to 10 in Spanish. Your teacher or classmates can help you pronounce them correctly: 1 – uno (OO-no) 6 – seis (sayz) 2 – dos (doze) 7 – siete (si-YEH-teh) 3 – tres (trez) 8 – ocho (OH-cho) 4 – cuatro (KWA-trow) 9 – nueve (nu-EH-vey) 5 – cinco (SINK-o) 10 – diez (DEE-ez) Once you have repeated the numbers several times, you are ready to play. Ask your teacher to make a ball by crumbling a piece of paper or two into a round shape. One student begins holding the ball. He throws to ball to another student, and the student who catches it has to say “uno” to begin counting in Spanish. Then the student who says “uno” throws to ball to another student, who catches it and says “dos”. The game continues with each student catching the ball and saying the next number in Spanish. When you get to “diez”, start over again with “uno”. Or, ask your teacher to help you learn more numbers, and you can keep counting!
Did you know...?
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