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Guayaquil
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Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil. The climate is hot and generally humid. During El Niño years rainfall is very heavy between January and April and flooding usually occurs. Typically however, rainfall is minimal due to the influence of the Humboldt Current.
Guayaquil is at 2.21°S 79.90°W, about 250 km south-southwest of the capital of Ecuador, Quito.
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Encyclopedia
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil. The climate is hot and generally humid. During El Niño years rainfall is very heavy between January and April and flooding usually occurs. Typically however, rainfall is minimal due to the influence of the Humboldt Current.
Guayaquil is at 2.21°S 79.90°W, about 250 km south-southwest of the capital of Ecuador, Quito. According to the most recent census (2008), its population was 2,985,379. However, the built up area population with Eloy Alfaro (174,531 hab.) was 3,359,911 .
Guayaquil is the capital of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas and the seat of the namesake canton. (In Ecuador, a cantón (canton) is a second-order subnational entity below a first-order province.)
The city is the center of Ecuador's fishing and manufacturing industries.
The city's new airport, José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (IATA airport code: GYE), though using the same runways, had its passenger terminal completely rebuilt in 2006 and was renamed. The old passenger terminal is now a convention centre.
History
Guayaquil was founded on July 25, 1538 with the name Muy Noble y Muy Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana. Even before it was founded by the Spanish, it already existed as a native village.
In 1600 Guayaquil had a population of about 2,000 people; by 1700 the city had a population of over 10,000.
In 1687, Guayaquil was attacked and looted by English and French pirates under the command of George d'Hout (English) and Picard and Groniet (Frenchmen). Of the more than 260 pirates, 35 died and 46 were wounded; 75 defenders of the city died and more than 100 were wounded. The pirates took local women as concubines. Quito paid the ransom demanded by the pirates with the condition they release the hostages and not burn Guayaquil.
In 1709, the English captains Woodes Rogers, Etienne Courtney, and William Dampier along with 110 other pirates, looted Guayaquil and demanded ransom; however, they suddenly departed without collecting the ransom after an epidemic of yellow fever broke out.
In October 9, 1820, almost without bloodshed, a group of civilians supported by soldiers from the "Granaderos de Reserva", a battalion quartered in Guayaquil, overwhelmed the resistance of the Royalist guards and arrested the Spanish authorities. Guayaquil declared independence from Spain, becoming Provincia Libre de Guayaquil, and José Joaquín de Olmedo was named Jefe Civil (Civil Chief) of Guayaquil. This would prove to be a key victory for the Ecuadorian War of Independence.
On July 26, 1822, José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar held a famous conference in Guayaquil to plan for the independence of Spanish South America.
The city suffered from a major fire in 1896 which destroyed large portions of the city.
The city has been invaded by the Peruvian Military on two occasions: in 1829 and 1860.
Guayaquil at present
Present-day Guayaquil continues its tradition of trade, although the city is expanding its tourism base, by beautifying the city and an improvement in the citizens' self-esteem . This process has taken years, comprising the last two municipal administrations. Despite having few historic buildings, renovations and expansions of levees, squares, parks, and some districts have turned Guayaquil into a national and international tourist destination. It is now a headquarters for fairs and international events.
Guayaquileños main source of income are: formal and informal trade, business, agriculture and aquaculture; trade in the vast majority of the population consists of SMB, adding an important informal economy occupation that gives thousands of guayaquileños employment. Despite this, Guayaquil is the city with the highest rate of underemployment (about 40% of the economically active population) and unemployment (about 11% of the economically active population) of Ecuador.
Guayaquil maintains an infrastructure for import and export of products with international standards. Among its major trading points are the Seaport, the largest in Ecuador and one of the biggest influx of shipping on the shores of the Pacific and José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport. Additionally, it has an infrastructure of roads to other cities and provinces, which are considered the best in the country.
Ongoing projects seek urban regeneration as a principal objective to the growth of the city's commercial districts, as the increase of capital produces income. These projects in the city driven by the recent mayors have achieved this goal after investing large sums of money. The current municipal administration aims to convert Guayaquil into a place for first-class international tourism and business multinationals...
Government
Guayaquil's current mayor is Jaime Nebot , a well-known member of the political party Partido Social Cristiano. Jaime Nebot began a campaign of construction projects for the city in the late 1990s to attract tourism, that included the "urban regeneration", which reconstructed the city in all levels including sidewalks, parks, sewer system, it took the power and telephone lines underground, it saw a lot of reconstruction of the city's chaotic transit system with the construction of multiple infrastructures (streets, speedways, overhead passages, tunnels, etc.).
In August 2006, the city's first bus rapid transit system, Metrovia, opened to provide a quicker, high-capacity service. One of the main projects was called Malecón 2000 , the renovation of the breakwater (malecón) along the Guayas River with the addition of a boardwalk in 2000. Another project was the creation of the Nuevo Parque Histórico, a park in a housing development area that is called Entre Ríos because it lies between the Daule and Babahoyo rivers (which confluence to form the Guayas river), in a mangrove wetland area. The park cost the city about 7 million dollars. It is a refuge for fauna and a zone of historical-architecture preservation, and has a traditions-and-history exhibition centre. The idea of the creation of this park came from Ecuador's central bank in 1982, as part of their "Rescate Arquitectónico" ("Architectural Rescue") programme. .
Guayaquil City Sectors
Guayaquil City Territorial Organisation
Number of the sector in reference with the City Map | | # | Sectors | # | Sectors | # | Sectors | | 1 | 9 de Octubre Este | 25 | Febres Cordero | 49 | Prosperina | | 2 | 9 de Octubre Oeste | 26 | Floresta | 50 | Puerto Azul Norte | | 3 | Abel Gilbert | 27 | La Florida | 51 | Puerto Azul Sur | | 4 | Acuarela | 28 | García Moreno | 52 | Puerto Lisa | | 5 | Los Álamos | 29 | Garzota | 53 | Quinto Guayas Este | | 6 | Alborada Este | 30 | Guangala | 54 | Quinto Guayas Oeste | | 7 | Alborada Oeste | 31 | Guasmo Este | 55 | Río Guayas | | 8 | Los Almendros | 32 | Guasmo Oeste | 56 | Roca | | 9 | Las Américas | 33 | Huancavilca | 57 | Rocafuerte | | 10 | Atarazana | 34 | Isla Trinitaria | 58 | La Saiba | | 11 | Ayacucho | 35 | Kennedy | 59 | Samanes | | 12 | Bastión Popular | 36 | Letamendi | 60 | San Eduardo | | 13 | Batallón del Suburbio | 37 | Luz del Guayas | 61 | Los Sauces | | 14 | Bellavista | 38 | Mapasingue | 62 | Simón Bolívar | | 15 | Bolívar | 39 | Miraflores | 63 | Sopeña | | 16 | Los Ceibos | 40 | Monte Bello | 64 | Sucre | | 17 | Centenario | 41 | Olmedo | 65 | Tarqui | | 18 | Cerro del Carmen | 42 | Las Orquidias Este | 66 | Unión | | 19 | Cóndor | 43 | Las Orquidias Oeste | 67 | Urdenor | | 20 | Cuba | 44 | Paraíso | 68 | Urdaneta | | 21 | Del Astillero | 45 | Pascuales | 69 | Urdesa | | 22 | Estero Salado | 46 | Pedro Carbo | 70 | Los Vergeles | | 23 | Los Esteros | 47 | Las Peñas | 71 | Ximena | | 24 | La FAE | 48 | La Pradera | | |
Demographics
According to the most recent census (2001), its population was 1.985.379.
Historical Populations Guayaquil City
Compared with Guayas Province, Canton of Guayaquil, and Guayaquil City | | Census | Guayas Province | Canton of Guayaquil | Guayaquil City | | 1950 | 582.144 | 331.942 | 258.966 | | 1962 | 979.223 | 567.895 | 510.804 | | 1974 | 1.512.333 | 907.013 | 823.219 | | 1982 | 2.038.454 | 1.328.005 | 1.199.344 | | 1990 | 2.515.146 | 1.570.396 | 1.508.444 | | 2001 | 4.509.034 | 2.148.779 | 1.985.379 | | Source: | |
Percentage Population Growth of Guayaquil City
Compared with Guayas Province, Canton of Guayaquil, and Guayaquil City. | | Census | Guayas Province | Canton of Guayaquil | Guayaquil City | | 1950-1962 | 4,34% | 4,49% | 5,67% | | 1962-1974 | 3,77% | 4,06% | 4,14% | | 1974-1982 | 3,52% | 4,50% | 4,44% | | 1982-1990 | 2,63% | 2,10% | 2,87% | | 1990-2001 | 2,49% | 2,38% | 2,50% | | Source: | |
Food
Typical Guayaquil cuisine includes encebollado (one of many typical seafood soups), ceviche, arroz con menestra y carne (rice and beans with grilled or fried beef), patacones (twice-fried plantain slices) and pan de yuca (bread made from cassava).
Notable people
Artists
Ecuador is known for its artists and its place in art history. Many of them were born in Guayaquil, such as:
* Félix Arauz (b. 1935, Guayaquil)
- Xavier Blum Pinto (b. 1957, Guayaquil)
- Theo Constanté (b.1934, Guayaquil)
- Araceli Gilbert (b. 1913, Guayaquil - d. 1993, Quito)
- Julio Jaramillo (b. 1935, Guayaquil - d. 1978, Guayaquil)
- Luis Lara (b. 1945, Guayaquil)
- Luis Miranda (b. 1932, Guayaquil)
- Luis Molinari (b. 1929, Guayaquil)
- Enrique Tábara (b. 1930, Guayaquil)
- Jorge Velarde (b. 1960, Guayaquil)
- Rony Vera (b. 1965, Guayaquil)
- Juan Villafuerte (b. 1945, Guayaquil; d. 1977, Barcelona, Spain)
- Jaime Villa (b. 1934, Guayaquil)
Others
Other notable people from Guayaquil include:
Religious buildings
Guayaquil has a cathedral and many other Roman Catholic churches. There is a Temple and many chapels of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many other faiths and religions are represented throughout the city.
Sports
There are two major soccer clubs. The Barcelona Sporting Club and the Club Sport Emelec. Both clubs have their own stadiums, The Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo is the home of the "Barcelonistas" while the Estadio George Capwell is the home of the "Emeleccistas". These two teams have a long history of rivalry in Guayaquil and when these two teams play against each other the game is called "El Clásico del Astillero". (Emelec is short for "Empresa Electrica del Ecuador" - the team was sponsored by the electric power company when founded.)
The city is also the home of Nicolas Lapentti, an active tennis player that is top 100 at the Current ATP Race.
The "Abierto de Tenis Ciudad de Guayaquil" is a tennis tournament organised in Guayaquil every year by Andrés Gómez and Luis Morejon in November of every year.
Another major event in the city is the Guayaquil Marathon, organised by DM3, which is held every year on the first weekend of October since 2005. These race is certified by the (AIMS) Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.
Universities
Some of Guayaquil's main universities are:
Notable places
The Malecón 2000 is a restoration project of the historic Simon Bolivar Pier. It will be a symbolic centre of the city, a mix of green areas and shopping.
The Palacio Municipal is located in front of the Malecón and holds the political offices of city and provincial officials. Built in a neoclassical style, it is considered one of the most important architectural works in the country.
Las Peñas is a neighbourhood in the northeast corner of the city centre; is the artistic centre of the city. Many of the area's 400-year-old houses have been converted into art galleries and several notable artists have studios in the area.
The Mercado Artesanal is the largest artisan market in the city. The market is housed in a 240-shop building that takes up the entire block of Baquerizo Avenue, between Loja and Juan Montalvo streets. Its many vendors sell indigenous crafts, jewellery, and paintings.
Parque Centenario is located on 9 de Octubre street, between Lorenzo de Garaycoa and Quito. This is the largest park in the town centre, occupying four city blocks. It offers shady refuge from the equatorial sun, with large trees arching over the walkways and lawns. A large Statue of Liberty dominates the central area of the park.
Parque Seminario (also known as Parque de Las Iguanas or Iguana Park) located on 10 de Agosto Avenue and Chile Avenue, is home to many iguanas, some of which approach 5 feet in length. Tourists and locals alike often feed the iguanas mango slices from park vendors. There is also a pond filled with colourful Japanese Tilapia. An equestrian statue of Simón Bolívar is located in the centre of the park.
Urdesa is a traditional neighborhood, for restaurants, stores.
Bahia is a popular marketplace for toys, clothing, electronic goods, DVDs, and CDs.
Sister cities
Guayaquil has city partnerships with the following cities and/or regions:
Since 2001: Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Santiago, Chile
Concepción, Chile
Houston, Texas, USA (1987)
Genoa, Italy
Barcelona, Spain
Bogotá, Colombia
See also
External links
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