ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief historical background and a description of major events in Ecuador. It also provides basic political, economic, and social data arranged in the following categories: polity, economy, population, purchasing power parities, life expectancy, ethnic groups, capital, political rights, civil liberties, and status. The chapter discusses the progress and decline of political rights and civil liberties in Ecuador. Ecuador's political turmoil appeared unabated: the country's elite remained highly fractionalized, political party discipline was weak, and coalitions were largely ever-changing alliances at the mercy of charismatic leaders as well as current events. Ecuador has numerous human rights organizations, and despite occasional acts of intimidation, they report on arbitrary arrests and instances of police brutality and military misconduct, although in 2001 intimidation of rights monitors from a variety of sources was reported to be increasing. Citizens can change their government through elections, although the January 2000 coup attempt represented a clear reversal of democratic trends in Ecuador.
