- El Oro Province, Ecuador
The "El Oro" Province ( Spanish "Provincia de El Oro"; Oro () =
Gold ) is the southernmost ofEcuador 's coastal provinces. It has been named that way because of its historically important gold production. It is one of the worlds majorbanana exporters. The capital isMachala .History
El Oro province is historically linked as the major area of banana production in Ecuador.
Geography
To the north and east the province has borders with the provinces
Guayas ,Azuay and Loja. To the west and south it is limited by thePacific Ocean and the PeruvianTumbes Region .The province is divided in 14 cantons and features a wide range of attractions, such as the
Jambelí Islands , thepetrified forest of thePuyango River , and the island of Santa Clara, to name a few.Demographics
Population 1990: 412.572Population 2007: 525.763
Economy
El Oro economy is mainly based on export of banana and shrimps. Other agricultural products of importance are
cacao &coffee .Politics
Unicameral government.
Cantons
* Arenillas (
Arenillas )
* Atahualpa (Paccha )
* Balsas (Balsas)
* Chilla (Chilla )
* El Guabo (El Guabo )
* Huaquillas (Huaquillas )
* Las Lajas (La Victoria )
* Machala (Machala )
* Marcabelí (Marcabelí )
* Pasaje (Pasaje )
* Piñas (Piñas )
* Portovelo (Portovelo )
* Santa Rosa (Santa Rosa)
* Zaruma (Zaruma )External links
* [http://www.eloro.gov.ec/ Gobierno Provincial Autonomo de El Oro] Web site of the El Oro Government in Spanish
* [http://www.orenses.org/ Orenses Machala Comunidad Virtual de La Provincia de El Oro] News about El Oro in Spanish
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