Tatiana, an impoverished Ecuadorian two year old.jpg

What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717.

The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator."

Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elected Presidents. In 2007, a Constituent Assembly was elected to draft a new constitution; Ecuador's twentieth since gaining independence.

Chafing at ties between American intelligence agencies and Ecuadorean military officials, President Rafael Correa purged the armed forces of top commanders, and is pressing ahead with plans to cast out more than 100 members of the American military air bases.

Skip to next paragraphHe also dismissed his defense minister, army chief of intelligence, and commanders of the army/air force/joint chiefs stating that Ecuador's intelligence systems were "totally infiltrated and subjugated to the C.I.A." he dismissals point to a willingness by Mr. Correa, an ally of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, to aggressively confront Ecuador's military, a bastion of political and economic power in this country of 14 million people.

Recently, Ecuador began imposing stiff tariffs on hundreds of Colombian imports, the latest round in a festering dispute between the neighbors. The tariffs could affect at least one-third of the $1.6 billon in annual Colombian exports to Ecuador. The Ecuadorean government said the measure was put in place to compensate for a recent devaluation of the Colombian peso. But observers say there is little doubt that it is the latest in a series of retaliatory measures by both countries since Colombia sparked a regional crisis with its brief incursion into Ecuadorean territory in March 2008 to kill a high-ranking leftist rebel leader.