The Oriente (Spanish: Región amazónica) is a region of eastern Ecuador, comprising the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes and the lowland areas of rainforest in the Amazon basin.
It is bordered on the north by San Miguel and Putumayo rivers and on the east and south by Peru. Oriente has an area of about 50,000 square miles (130,000 square km) and consists of little-explored and virtually unexploited tropical forest inhabited by a tiny fraction of the country's population, living mostly in small villages along the river courses.[1]
The Oriente comprises everything east of the Ecuadorian Andes, which by most definitions approaches half the country, but only 5 percent of the country’s people live there. Although the Pacific defines the coast and the mountains comprise the Sierra, the Oriente finds its heart in the rivers that tie it to the Amazon basin and, eventually, the Atlantic Ocean. The inexorable waters can undercut a huge clay bank or snip a bend overnight, stranding an oxbow kilometers long. The muddy Río Napo, more than one kilometer wide in spots, drains the Ríos Coca and Aguarico and heads off into Peru. Colombia’s Amazon lies across the Río Putumayo to the north. Farther south, the Río Pastaza and Rio Paute flow from Sangay National Park.[2]
Conditionsedit
A sizable fraction of the population are indigenous peoples. Illiteracy is widespread, although the Roman CatholicSalesian missions have established a few boarding schools.[1]
Economyedit
Timber and petroleum are the major exploited economic resources.
Historyedit
The Quijos region east of Coca was well known to the Incas, who ventured downhill to meet lowland tribes in peace and battle. It was also the first area east of the Andes to be penetrated by the Spanish. The anniversary of the European discovery of the Amazon River (February 12) is still celebrated in jungle cities with markets and fairs. Within a few centuries after European contact most of the region’s tens of thousands of inhabitants had fallen victim to smallpox and cholera.
The discovery of oil in the 1960s brought this once-stagnant backwater into the national consciousness. In the north, an oil pipeline helps transport the vast reserves that make Ecuador the third-largest oil exporter in Latin America.
Throughout the region, Quechua words on maps show the influence of the Lowland Quechua, who inhabit the foothills and forests in western Napo and northern Pastaza provinces. Also in the north are pockets of Siona/Secoya and Cofán. The Huaorani have a huge reserve in central Napo province and spill over into Yasuní National Park. To the south, the Shuar and Achuar saw their ancestral lands divided by the decades-old border dispute with Peru, which ended in 1998.[2]
Locations of interestedit
Papallacta Hot Springs: hot springs on the road from Quito—Piñan Lakes are nearby.[2]
Napo Wildlife Center: One of the newest lodges in the Ecuadorian Amazon; run by an indigenous community down the Río Napo.[2]
Tena: A white-water and jungle-tour hotspot, Tena is easier to reach than most other cities in the Oriente.[2]
Zamora: One and a half hour by bus from Loja, this town is located in the southeastern part of the Oriente and is one of the entrances to the Podocarpus National Park.
La Selva Jungle Lodge located 100 km (62 mi) down the Napo river from the town of Coca, has been operating since 1984 and is widely regarded as the pioneer in Ecotourism in the area.
Referencesedit
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Amazon (Ecuador).
oriente, ecuador, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, oriente, ecuador, news, newspapers, books, scholar. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Oriente Ecuador news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2024 Learn how and when to remove this message The Oriente Spanish Region amazonica is a region of eastern Ecuador comprising the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes and the lowland areas of rainforest in the Amazon basin Contents 1 Location 2 Conditions 3 Economy 4 History 5 Locations of interest 6 External links 7 ReferencesLocation editIt is bordered on the north by San Miguel and Putumayo rivers and on the east and south by Peru Oriente has an area of about 50 000 square miles 130 000 square km and consists of little explored and virtually unexploited tropical forest inhabited by a tiny fraction of the country s population living mostly in small villages along the river courses 1 The Oriente comprises everything east of the Ecuadorian Andes which by most definitions approaches half the country but only 5 percent of the country s people live there Although the Pacific defines the coast and the mountains comprise the Sierra the Oriente finds its heart in the rivers that tie it to the Amazon basin and eventually the Atlantic Ocean The inexorable waters can undercut a huge clay bank or snip a bend overnight stranding an oxbow kilometers long The muddy Rio Napo more than one kilometer wide in spots drains the Rios Coca and Aguarico and heads off into Peru Colombia s Amazon lies across the Rio Putumayo to the north Farther south the Rio Pastaza and Rio Paute flow from Sangay National Park 2 Conditions editA sizable fraction of the population are indigenous peoples Illiteracy is widespread although the Roman Catholic Salesian missions have established a few boarding schools 1 Economy editTimber and petroleum are the major exploited economic resources History editThe Quijos region east of Coca was well known to the Incas who ventured downhill to meet lowland tribes in peace and battle It was also the first area east of the Andes to be penetrated by the Spanish The anniversary of the European discovery of the Amazon River February 12 is still celebrated in jungle cities with markets and fairs Within a few centuries after European contact most of the region s tens of thousands of inhabitants had fallen victim to smallpox and cholera The discovery of oil in the 1960s brought this once stagnant backwater into the national consciousness In the north an oil pipeline helps transport the vast reserves that make Ecuador the third largest oil exporter in Latin America Throughout the region Quechua words on maps show the influence of the Lowland Quechua who inhabit the foothills and forests in western Napo and northern Pastaza provinces Also in the north are pockets of Siona Secoya and Cofan The Huaorani have a huge reserve in central Napo province and spill over into Yasuni National Park To the south the Shuar and Achuar saw their ancestral lands divided by the decades old border dispute with Peru which ended in 1998 2 Locations of interest editPapallacta Hot Springs hot springs on the road from Quito Pinan Lakes are nearby 2 Napo Wildlife Center One of the newest lodges in the Ecuadorian Amazon run by an indigenous community down the Rio Napo 2 Tena A white water and jungle tour hotspot Tena is easier to reach than most other cities in the Oriente 2 Zamora One and a half hour by bus from Loja this town is located in the southeastern part of the Oriente and is one of the entrances to the Podocarpus National Park External links edithttp yachana org ec La Selva Jungle Lodge located 100 km 62 mi down the Napo river from the town of Coca has been operating since 1984 and is widely regarded as the pioneer in Ecotourism in the area References edit nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Amazon Ecuador a b Oriente Britannica Online Encyclopedia a b c d e https web archive org web 20080724185658 http www moon com planner ecuador regions oriente html 0 48 S 76 54 W 0 8 S 76 9 W 0 8 76 9 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Oriente Ecuador amp oldid 1217992908, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
