Ecuador is located in a privileged part of the planet, lying in the northwest of South America and on the Equator. Ecuador shares borders with Colombia to the north and Peru to the south, and the Pacific Ocean is to the west. With feet in both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres, it is divided by the Equator.
Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in the Americas. However, with its 98,842 square miles (256,730 km), it is considered to be among the 17 most diverse countries in the world. Its geographical, biological and cultural diversity is unparalleled. Ecuador is home to the largest diversity of animals and plants per square mile in the world, and it is third in the world for its variety of amphibians, and fifth for butterflies.
Ecuador is divided into four distinct worlds: the Galapagos Islands, the Pacific Coast, the Highlands (Northern and Southern Andes), and the Amazon. It contains 33 natural state-protected reserves and extensive tropical forests that are home to approximately 1,640 species of birds, 4,500 species of butterflies, 345 species of reptiles, 358 species of amphibians, and 258 species of mammals, amongst others. The Sangay and Galapagos National Parks, as well as the Galapagos Marine Reserve, have been declared UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites.
