Coast

Pacific Coast of Ecuador

Along the coastal area you will find beautiful beaches and rugged cliffs that combined create breathtaking scenery. The cove's mangroves and marine environments provide an ideal habitat for fish and shellfish. Unfortunately, the expansion of shrimp farms, one of Ecuador's main export products, has diminished the huge areas of mangroves in the inlets. Manabí, Guayas, El Oro and Esmeraldas are the four provinces that make up the Ecuadorian coastline. Temperatures along the coast range from 23 ° C (73.4 ° F) in the south to 26 ° C (78.8 ° F) in the north. The coastal climate is mainly influenced by the proximity to warm or cold ocean currents that come from both the south and the north. In the northern corner of Ecuador, we find the busy port of Esmeraldas. Europeans first touched Ecuadorian soil here, when the Spanish landed on the Pacific coast in 1526, they encountered a native culture called the Atacames. These people used gold and silver as settings for green emeralds, the conquerors believing that the region was abundant in sparkling gems, they called it Emeralds. Esmeraldas It is the capital of the province, here is located the terminal of the Ecuadorian Trans-Andean Pipeline that runs from the Amazon Region, and this line transports around 450,000 barrels of black gold per day. Located in the northernmost part of Ecuador is Esmeraldas, also known as the green providence. About a five-hour drive from Quito, visitors can enjoy unspoiled landscapes, mangroves, flooded tropical forests, and estuaries. Atacames is a great place for travelers, seafood, beaches, and people are something everyone enjoys around here. Esmeraldas is the wettest coastal province, summer is a little less rainy than the rest of the year, almost every night the sun sets a spectacular red and a bright horizon. Manabí is located in the center of the Ecuadorian coast. Its capital is Portoviejo, this was the first city founded by the Spanish on the Ecuadorian coast by Francisco Pacheco on March 12, 1535. This province is crossed by the Equatorial Line; its extension corresponds to 6.97% of the Ecuadorian territory. The name of the province is the result of the union of two Quechua words, Mana (nothing) and Pi (water) "nothing of water". It is the belief that the Mayans arrived in this area 1,500 years ago, at that time the region was already inhabited by a group of indigenous people called Mantas, this is confirmed by the objects found in the region. Manabí has ​​the second largest port in Ecuador, the port of Manta located in the city of Manta. The beaches are among the most beautiful in Ecuador, the variety of food is excellent and delicious, especially the seafood. History tells us that this city was attacked, attacked and destroyed many times by pirates in 1543, 1607 and 1628.