El Oro province is the southernmost of
EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
's coastal provinces. It was named for its historically important
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
production. Today it is one of the world's major exporters of
bananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s. The capital is
MachalaMachala is a city in south-west Ecuador. It is the capital of the El Oro Province and located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on fertile lowlands. Machala has a population of 230,901 , making it the fourth biggest city of the country; it has been referred to as the Banana Capital of the...
.
Geography
To the north and east the province has borders with the provinces
GuayasGuayas is a coastal province in Ecuador. It is bordered to the west by Manabí, Santa Elena, and the Pacific Ocean ; to the east by Los Ríos, Bolívar, Chimborazo, Cañar, and Azuay; to the north by Los Ríos and Bolívar; and to the south by El Oro and the Pacific Ocean.With a population of over 3...
, Azuay and
LojaLoja Province is one of 24 provinces in Ecuador and shares its southern border on the west by El Oro Province, on the north by El Azuay, and on the east by Zamora-Chinchipe. Founded on its present site in 1548 by Captain Alonso de Mercadillo the site had been previously moved and rebuilt from La...
. To the west and south it is limited by the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and the
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian
Tumbes RegionTumbes is a coastal region in northwestern Peru and southwestern Ecuador. Due to the region's location near the Equator it has a warm climate, with beaches that are considered among the finest in Peru...
.
The province is divided in 14
cantonsThe Cantons of Ecuador are the second-level subdivisions of Ecuador, below the provinces. There are 226 cantons in the country, of which three are not in any province. The cantons are further sub-divided into parishes, which are classified as either urban or rural...
and features a wide range of attractions, such as the Jambelí Islands, the petrified
forestA forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
of the Puyango River, and the island of Santa Clara, to name a few.
Economy
El Oro economy is mainly based on export of banana and shrimp. Other agricultural products of importance are cacao and
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
.
Cantons
The province is divided into 14 cantons. The following table lists each with its population as of the 2001
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, its area in square kilometres (km²), and the name of the canton seat or capital.
| Canton | Pop. (2001) | Area (km²) | Seat/Capital |
| Arenillas Arenillas Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Arenillas. Its population at the 2001 census was 22,477....
|
22,477 |
803 |
Arenillas |
| Atahualpa Atahualpa Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Paccha. Its population at the 2001 census was 5,479....
|
5,479 |
278 |
Paccha |
| Balsas |
5,348 |
69 |
Balsas Balsas is a canton in El Oro Province, Ecuador. Its seat is Balsas.It is the location of one of three official border crossings into Peru. The name, Balsas, refers to the balsa wood rafts that travellers used to take over the river to make the crossing, though there is now a bridge spanning the river...
|
| Chilla Chilla Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Chilla. Its population at the 2001 census was 2,665....
|
2,665 |
328 |
Chilla |
| El Guabo El Guabo Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of El Guabo. Its population at the 2001 census was 41,078....
|
41,078 |
603 |
El Guabo El Guabo is a town in El Oro, a province in Ecuador. It is the seat of El Guabo Canton. It is located a few kilometers from the provincial capital, Machala. The town has a bypass, so cars coming mainly from Guayaquil or Naranjal can drive towards Machala without passing it....
|
| Huaquillas Huaquillas Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Huaquillas. Its population at the 2001 census was 40,285....
|
40,285 |
72 |
HuaquillasHuaquillas is a town in western El Oro, a province of SW Ecuador. It is the canton seat of the Huaquillas Canton.Huaquillas is located on the border with Peru. An international bridge that goes over the Zarumilla River connects it with the Peruvian town of Aguas Verdes...
|
| Las Lajas Las Lajas Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of La Victoria. Its population at the 2001 census was 4,781....
|
4,781 |
297 |
La Victoria |
| Machala Machala Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Machala. Its population at the 2001 census was 217,696....
|
217,696 |
338 |
MachalaMachala is a city in south-west Ecuador. It is the capital of the El Oro Province and located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on fertile lowlands. Machala has a population of 230,901 , making it the fourth biggest city of the country; it has been referred to as the Banana Capital of the...
|
| Marcabelí Marcabelí Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Marcabelí. Its population at the 2001 census was 4,930....
|
4,930 |
147 |
Marcabelí |
| Pasaje Pasaje Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Pasaje. Its population at the 2001 census was 62,959....
|
62,959 |
452 |
Pasaje Pasaje is a small town in the lowlands of the El Oro Province, Ecuador. Pasaje is the seat of the Pasaje Canton. It is located on the border of the Jubones River.-External links:* Website with local information in Spanish...
|
| Piñas |
23,246 |
615 |
Piñas |
| Portovelo Portovelo Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Portovelo. Its population at the 2001 census was 11,024....
|
11,024 |
282 |
Portovelo Portovelo is a town in the El Oro Province of Ecuador. It is the seat of the Portovelo Canton.- Sources :*World-Gazetteer.com*www.portovelo.com with permission from author....
|
| Santa Rosa Santa Rosa Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Santa Rosa. Its population at the 2001 census was 60,388....
|
60,388 |
889 |
Santa RosaFarming center about 10 miles south of Machala, Ecuador. Santa Rosa that is the site for a large new airport to service the southern part of Ecuador.This aerport is operational offering flights to mayor cities in Ecuador like Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, and in the near future Peru and...
|
| Zaruma Zaruma Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the El Oro Province. Its capital is the town of Zaruma. Its population at the 2001 census was 23,407....
|
23,407 |
645 |
Zaruma Zaruma is a town in SE El Oro, a province in Ecuador. Zaruma is the seat of the Zaruma Canton, one of the oldest cantons in the province. It is located in the western range of the Andes, at 1500 m high....
|
External links
Gobierno Provincial Autonomo de El Oro - web site of the El Oro Government
Orenses Machala Comunidad Virtual de La Provincia de El Oro - news about El Oro