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EcuadorFrom Researching Virtual Initiatives in EducationOriginal Re.ViCa entry by Paul Bacsich assisted by Gertjan and with desk research by Iris Velasquez Noguera For entities in Ecuador see Category:Ecuador
Partners and experts situated in EcuadorNone.
Ecuador in a nutshellEcuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador (Spanish: República del Ecuador), literally, "Republic of the equator" is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America (with Chile) that does not have a border with Brazil. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 965 kilometres (600 mi) west of the mainland. Ecuador straddles the equator, from which it takes its name, and has an area of 256,371 square kilometres (98,985 sq mi). Its capital city is Quito; its largest city is Guayaquil.  Its population is around 14 million. Ecuador is divided into 24 provinces (provincias), each with its own administrative capital. It has three main geographic regions, plus an insular region in the Pacific Ocean:
Ecuador's population is ethnically diverse. The largest ethnic group (as of 2007) is the Mestizos, who are the mixed descendants of Spanish colonists and indigenous Indians and who constitute less than 55% of the population. Amerindians account for around 25% of the current population. Whites, mainly criollos, the unmixed descendants of early Spanish colonists, as well as immigrants from other European countries, account for about 15% of the population. The small Afro-Ecuadorian minority, including Mulattos and zambos, largely based in Esmeraldas and Imbabura provinces, make up 5% of the population. Education in EcuadorThe public education system is free at the point of delivery, and attendance is mandatory from ages five to 14.
Ecuador has 61 universities, many of which offer graduate degrees, although only 87% of the faculty in public universities possess graduate degrees. About 300 higher institutes offer two to three years of post-secondary vocational or technical training. Schools in EcuadorFurther and Higher education in EcuadorUniversitiesThere are said to be 61 universities. A listing of some of them is below: (source: http://www.4icu.org/ec/universities-ecuador.htm)
Polytechnics in EcuadorThere are about 300 higher institutes offer two to three years of post-secondary vocational or technical training. Colleges in EcuadorEducation reformSchoolsPost-secondaryAdministration and financeSchoolsPost-secondaryQuality assuranceSchoolsPost-secondaryInformation societyICT in education initiativesVirtual initiatives in schoolsVirtual initiatives in post-secondary educationUniversidad Tecnica Particular de LojaThe Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) is presently an autonomous organisation in Loja, Ecuador. UTPL provides both on-campus and distance education. UTPL was created by presidential decree in 1971 and administered by the government until October 1997. Originally (until 1987) it was called the Open University of Loja. Today, it is run by missionaries and views itself as 'an educational institution with a social purpose'. A non-profit organisation financed by the Ecuadorian State, it was a pioneer of distance learning in Latin America, with distance learning provision available since 1976. Its web site is at http://www.utpl.edu.ec/ingles/
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