ccount balance:
$261.1 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$7.56 billion (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp

Exports - partners:
US 42.9%, Panama 14.3%, Peru 7.9%, Italy 4.6% (2004)

Imports:
$7.65 billion (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
vehicles, medicinal products, telecommunications equipment,
electricity

Imports - partners:
US 16.5%, Colombia 14.1%, China 9.2%, Venezuela 7.1%, Brazil 6.5%,
Chile 4.6%, Japan 4.5%, Mexico 4.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.436 billion (December 2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$16.81 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$216 million (2002)

Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
25,000 (2004), 25,000 (2003), 25,000 (2002), 25,000 (2001), 24,988
(2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Ecuador

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.549 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,394,400 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: country code - 593; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)

Radios:
5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:
2.5 million (2001)

Internet country code:
.ec

Internet hosts:
3,188 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
31 (2001)

Internet users:
569,700 (2003)

Transportation Ecuador

Railways:
total: 966 km
narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 43,197 km
paved: 8,164 km
unpaved: 35,033 km (2002)

Waterways:
1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2003)

Pipelines:
extra heavy crude 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,386 km; refined products
1,185 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar

Merchant marine:
total: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 241,403 GRT/391,898 DWT
by type: chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 1, passenger 8, petroleum
tanker 20
foreign-owned: 3 (Germany 1, Greece 1, Paraguay 1) (2005)

Airports:
205 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 62
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)

Airports - w