Factbook
History of Ecuador — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Ecuador, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1533What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533.
1563Quito -- the traditional name for the area -- became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717.
1819The territories of the Viceroyalty -- New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito -- gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia.
1830When Quito withdrew to become an independent republic in 1830, the traditional name was changed to the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors.
1995A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999.
2022Languages: Spanish (Castilian; official) 98.6%, indigenous 3.9% (Quechua 3.2%, other indigenous 0.7%), foreign 2.8%, other 0.6% (includes Ecuadorian sign language) (2022 est.) Religions: Roman Catholic 68.2%, Protestant 19% (Evangelical 18.3%, Adventist 0.6%, other Protestant 0.2%), Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other 2.3%, none 8.2% don't know/no response 1% (2023 est.) Urban population: 64.8% of total population (2023).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 23.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 75.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 35.7 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals Agriculture: bananas, sugarcane, milk, oil palm fruit, maize, rice, plantains, chicken, pineapples, cocoa beans (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 3.142 million Guayaquil, 1.957 million QUITO (capital) (2023) highly informal South American economy; USD currency user; major banana exporter; hard hit by COVID-19; macroeconomic fragility from oil dependency; successful debt restructuring; China funding budget deficits; social unrest hampering economic activity Inflation: 1.5% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 2.2% of GDP (2024 est.).
2025Population: 18.5 million (2025 estimate).
