chemicals, raw materials,
fuels; consumer goods

Imports - partners: US 25%, Colombia 13%, Japan 8%, Venezuela 8%,
Brazil 4% (2000)

Debt - external: $14 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient: $120 million (2001)

Currency: US dollar (USD)

Currency code: USD

Exchange rates: sucres per US dollar - 25,000.0 (January 2002), 25,000.0
(2001), 24,988.4 (2000), 11,786.8 (1999), 5,446.6 (1998), 3,988.3 (1997)
note: on 13 March 2000, the National Congress approved a new exchange
system whereby the US dollar was adopted as the main legal tender in
Ecuador for all purposes; on 20 March 2000, the Central Bank of Ecuador
started to exchange sucres for US dollars at a fixed rate of 25,000 sucres
per US dollar; since 30 April 2000, all transactions are denominated in
US dollars

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Ecuador

Telephones - main lines in use: 1,115,272 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 384,000 (1999)

Telephone system: generally elementary but being expanded domestic:
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 Service Providers (ISPs): 31 (2001)

Internet users: 180,000 (2001)

Transportation Ecuador

Railways: total: 965 km narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.)

Highways: total: 43,197 km paved: 8,165 km unpaved: 35,032 km (2001)

Waterways: 1,500 km

Pipelines: crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km

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

Merchant marine: total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 239,876
GRT/393,680 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here
as a flag of convenience: Chile 1, Greece 1 (2002 est.) ships by type:
cargo 2, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 1, passenger 3, petroleum
tanker 23, specialized tanker 1

Airports: 205 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 61 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047
m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 19 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 144 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under
914 m: 113 (2001)

Heliports: 1 (2001)

Military Ecuador

Military branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National
Police

Military manpower - military age: 20 y