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General Information
January 1st New Year
February 23 to 24 Carnival
April 9 Maundy Thursday
May 1 Battle of Pichincha
July 24 Bolivar’s Birthday
August 10 First Cry Independence
Independence of Quito
October 9 Independence of Guayaquil
October 12 Discovery of America
November 2 All Souls Day
November 3 Independence of Cuenca
December 25 Christmas
The largest of these ethnic groups are the Mestizos (those
of mixed Spanish andAmerindian ancestry) and they con-
stitute 65%of the population.
The Amerindians account for approximately 25% of the
population. A small minority of Afro-Ecuadorians, including
the mulattoes, make up the rest. A few decades ago most
of the population was concentrated in the Andean high-
lands but now the population is more equally distributed
between the Sierra and the Coast whilst a small percent-
age still live in the Galapagos islands.
Public Holidays
Working Hours
The normal working hours in the public sector are
from 8:30 to 16:30, whilst in the private sector this
time can range from a single day (8:00 to 16:00) to a
double day 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00.
ATMs are easy to find
Ecuador has dollarized its economy and currently
uses the United States of America Dollar as legal
tender for national and international transactions.
Prices, wages, accounting records are expressed in
US Dollars.
CURRENCY
TELECOMUNNICATIONS
Fixed phones
The fixed phone network covers all parts of the coun-
try. There are 2 public companies: CNT - National
Telecommunications Company, (the result of the
merger of the Andinatel and Pacifictel) and ETAPA
in Cuenca. CNT has 90% of the fixed phone market.
Significant private companies include: Linkotel SA,
Setel (from TVCable Group Telecommunications
Services), Telmex and Etapa Telecom SA.
The country code is +593.
Internet is easily available
Cultural Direction of Guayaquil