Ecuador has become a hot spot for North American retirees. It has even made a popular top 10 list. The lower cost of living, use of the American dollar, and the climate are some of the reasons why. Many retirees are drawn to the Andean city of Cuenca.

Here are 12 reasons to visit Quito, Ecuador:

• The Historic Center. As one of the very first UNESCO World Heritage Cities in the world (alongside Galapagos Islands), Quito is one of the Crown Jewels of Ecuador, if not South America.
• The Food.
• Folkloric Handicrafts.
• The Chocolate.
• The Views.
• Location.
• Climate.
• Nature.

Ecuador is one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world and has the most biodiversity per square kilometre of any nation. It is well known that Ecuador is named after the equator which runs through the country. It is in fact the only country in the world officially named after a geographical feature.

The short answer is YES, Ecuador is safe, as long as you take proper care. Ecuador is as safe as most other developing countries, and cities like Quito to be as safe as most major cities in the world, but with the general proviso that you should always travel with care and common sense, and be streetwise.

Roman Catholic

Afro-Ecuadorian culture is found primarily in the country’s northwest coastal region. The majority of the Afro-Ecuadorian population (70%) are found in the province of Esmeraldas and the Valle del Chota in the Imbabura Province, where they are the majority.

Ecuador’s distinct culture is as vibrant and beautiful as the hand woven tapestries of its local artisans. Stemming from its long and rich history, Ecuadorian culture includes a fair mix of indigenous practices along with European colonial influence.

The main ethnic groups of Ecuador include a number of indigenous-language-speaking populations (often referred to as indigenous peoples or Amerindians) and highland and lowland Spanish-speaking mestizos (people of mixed indigenous and European descent). Ethnicity in Ecuador is often a matter of self-identification.

Ecuadorians are the 10th-largest population of Hispanic origin living in the United States, accounting for 1% of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2017. Since 2000, the Ecuadorian-origin population has increased 174%, growing from 270,000 to 738,000 over the period.

The percentage of the population which identifies as white people has fallen from 10.5% in 2000 to 6.1% in 2010. Amerindians account for approximately 7.0% of the population and 7.2% of the population consists of Afro-Ecuadorians….Ecuadorians.

A person from Ecuador and/or a citizen of Ecuador is called Ecuadorean.

Chinese, Japanese and the Lebanese are the largest Asian ancestries; other major ethnic groups include Indians, Koreans and Filipinos. Brazil is home to the largest population of East Asian descent, estimated at some 2.2 million….Asian Latin Americans.

Their history, which encompasses the last 11,000 years, reaches into the present; 25 percent of Ecuador’s population is of indigenous heritage, while another 55-65 percent are Mestizos of mixed indigenous and European heritage. …

The conquest of Ecuador began in 1463 under the leadership of the ninth Inca, the great warrior Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui. By 1500 Tupa’s son, Huayna Capac, overcame the resistance of these populations and that of the Cara, and thus incorporated most of modern-day Ecuador into Tawantinsuyu, or the Inca empire.

During the 16th century Spanish colonialism was very prominent in Ecuador. As a result, the institution of slavery begun and thrived as a means of labor for the Spaniards. Slaves were disembarked on ships on the western coast of Ecuador but mainly came from slave routes in Venezuela and Panama.

Ecuador is located in the western corner at the top of the South American continent. Ecuador is named after the Equator, the imaginary line around the Earth that splits the country in two. Most of the country is in the Southern Hemisphere. The high Andes Mountains form the backbone of the country.