Ecuador And Democracy
...in discussion about democracy. This stems from the different premises
people have in mind when they use the term. In my opinion, most people fail to
specify their underlying premises, and we often incorporate into our sense of
democracy disparate factors that may or may not relate to it. To avoid such
confusion, we must identify the key ideas central to democracy and clarify
precisely how the term will be used. The best way to study democracy is to
learn the other countries, so in this time I choose one of Latin American
countries, Ecuador for well-understanding of the process of democracy.
Ecuador is graphically one of the world's most varied countries despite
its small size, which at 283520 sq. km is about the size of either New Zealand
or Nevada State. Ecuador staddles the equator on the Pacific coast of South
America and is bordered by only two countries, Colombia to the north and Peru to
the south and east.
The estimated population of Ecuador in 1991 was 10,800,00. This is
approximately 10 times the number of Indian estimated to have been living in the
area at the time of the Spanish conquest. The population density of about 38
people per sq. km is the highest of any South American nation.
Like other Latin American countries, the major religion is Roman
Catholicism. Some of the older cities have splendid 16th and 17th-century
Catholic churches. Although churches of other faiths can found, they form only
a very small minority. The Indians, while outwardly Roman Catholic, tend to
blend Catholicism with their traditional beliefs. In Ecuador, Spanish is the
main language. Most Indians are bilingual, with Quechua being their preferred
language and Spanish their second tongue.
Ecuador, that is the smallest of the Andean countries, is a republic
with a democratic government headed by a president. The first constitution was
written in 1830, but has...
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