Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia to the north, Peru to the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west, and also encompasses the Galapagos Province about 1,000 kilometers offshore. Its capital is Quito, while Guayaquil is the largest city. Ecuador first declared independence from Spain on 10 August 1809, defeated Spanish forces on 24 May 1822, and became a separate republic on 13 May 1830 when it split from Gran Colombia, with Spain formally recognizing its independence on 16 February 1840. It operates as a unitary presidential republic with a plurinational, representative democratic system, and with about 17.8 million people it is ethnically diverse, predominantly mestizo with significant European, Indigenous, African and Asian populations; Spanish is the official language alongside thirteen recognized native languages including Quechua and Shuar. Ecuador is one of seventeen recognized megadiverse countries and its 2008 constitution was the first in the world to grant legally enforceable rights of nature.
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