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LA COSTA

The Coast: The coastal region consists of the provinces to the West of the Andean range – EsmeraldasGuayasLos RíosManabíEl OroSanta Elena. It is the country's most fertile and productive land, and is the seat of the large banana exportation plantations of the companies Dole and Chiquita. This region is also where most of Ecuador's rice crop is grown. The truly coastal provinces have active fisheries. The largest coastal city is Guayaquil.

LA SIERRA

The Highlands: The sierra consists of the Andean and Interandean highland provinces – AzuayCañarCarchiChimborazoImbaburaLojaPichincha, and Tungurahua. This land contains most of Ecuador's volcanoes and all of its snow-capped peaks. Agriculture is focused on the traditional crops of potatomaize, and quinua and the population is predominantly Amerindian Kichua. The largest Sierran city is Quito.

EL ORIENTE

The East: The oriente consists of the Amazon jungle provinces – Morona SantiagoNapoOrellanaPastazaSucumbíos, and Zamora-Chinchipe. This region is primarily made up of the huge Amazon national parks and Amerindian untouchable zones, which are vast stretches of land set aside for the Amazon Amerindian tribes to continue living traditionally. It is also the area with the largest reserves of petroleum in Ecuador, and parts of the upper Amazon here have been extensively exploited by petroleum companies. The population is primarily mixed Amerindian ShuarHuaorani and Kichua, although there are numerous tribes in the deep jungle which are little-contacted. The largest city in the Oriente is probably Lago Agrio in Sucumbíos, although Macas in Morona Santiago runs a close second..

LA REGIÓN INSULAR

La Región Insular is the region comprising the Galápagos Islands, some 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

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