no idea where ecuador is?

No idea where Ecuador is? Location of Ecuador, Ecuador is in South America between Colombia and Peru being there neighbours north and south, with Brazil being further east,sitting on the equator line, which is what led to the country being named Ecuador yes i am stating the obvious, but not many people know where the location of Ecuador is?
Here is detailed image

Ecuador got its name in 1463 when the Inca Empire began, but prior to this, the land consisted of many indigenous Indian tribes who were at war with each other most of the time.

The Spanish conquered Ecuador in the 16th century and brought Spanish colonial rule to the land over the next couple of centuries. 

Much of the indigenous tribes were literally wiped out due to illness, as the spanish brought over with them a mixture of small pox and measles.

The 18th century took its toll and Ecuador's hope for independence was looking slim as most of its cities were in total ruins, but after much blood shed over a long period of time, independence was achieved in 1830. The land was ruled over the next 140 years by military and various political groups.

Through it´s neighbours in Peru, Ecuador lost many territories conflicting with it´s neighbours in the early 1900´s, then also a border war in 1995 that wasn´t resolved until 1999.

There has been 7 presidents since 96, which shows sign of instability
Ecuador is split up into different areas, on the North west just under 1400km from Quito Ecuador´s capital city are the Galapagos islands, which attract a lot of tourism due to it´s wildlife and beautiful coast lines.
Quito is a very large city surrounded by mountains(Andes) and also volcanoes one being very active at present (Cotopaxi) the climate is cooler  and high up can be difficult to adjust to the climate with the altitude. sierra region

Down the east you have the oriente,which backs on to the Amazon rain forest, eco lodges and cabins are a popular attraction for tourists who wish for some adventure or just to get out of the cities. Amaon region

The west consists of  a lovely coastal area starting from Esmeraldas at the most northern point  down past Santa Elena  going through small fishing villages,some busy with tourism and others completely untouched  Coastal region
For more information on the North side and equater here

Here is a brief layout of these 3 regions,

To break it up some more here is a map of all the provinces, I live in the Manabi province the coastal area of Ecuador, but slightly inland  residing in a city called Portoviejo

Ecuador is quite a big country to explore ,so when visiting it is always good to have an idea on where it is you would like to be,  If life on the coast appeals to you then you can do some research on the villages and cities below that Manabi has to offer

The sucre highlighted in yellow seems to be an increasingly popular place for foreign expats to retire or begin their quest for beach life paradise little fishing villages such as crucita and san clemente you will find many foreigners living there.

For further information on areas in Manabi leave a comment and i shall get back to you, in the meantime you can browse through expat guides of ecuador  that will give you a further insight