Guayaquil

Guayaquil
—  City  —
Santiago de Guayaquil
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): La Perla del Pacífico (The Pearl of the Pacific)
Guayaquil Location in Ecuador
Coordinates:
Country	Ecuador
Province	Guayas
Canton	Guayaquil
Government
- Mayor	Jaime Nebot (PSC)
Area
- City	1,214.4 km² (468.9 sq mi)
- Land	785.6 km² (303.3 sq mi)
- Water	428.8 km² (165.6 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- City	2,985,379
- Density	1,634.8/km² (4,668/sq mi)
- Metro	4,489,865
Time zone	ECT (UTC-5)
Website: http://www.guayaquil.gov.ec

Guayaquil (pronounced [waʝaˈkil]), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is on the west margin of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil. The climate is hot and generally humid. Though during El Niño years rainfall is very heavy between January and April and flooding usually occurs, from May to December and outside El Niños, there is almost no rain as the city is influenced by the Humboldt Current. Fog is a normal occurrence during the dry months, so that sunshine hours are actually a little higher during the "wet" season.

Guayaquil is at 2.21°S 79.90°W, about 250 km south-southwest of the capital of Ecuador, Quito. According to the most recent census (2001), its population was 1,985,379. However, the estimated metropolitan population was 2,489,865.

Guayaquil is the capital of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas and the seat of the namesake canton. (In Ecuador, a cantón (canton) is a second-order subnational entity below a first-order province.)

The city is the center of Ecuador's fishing and manufacturing industries.

The city's new airport, José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (IATA airport code: GYE), though using the same runways, had its passenger terminal completely rebuilt in 2006 and was renamed. The old passenger terminal is now a convention centre.

History

Guayaquil's waterfront around 1920.

Guayaquil was founded on July 25 (see note below), 1538 with the name Muy Noble y Muy Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana. Even before it was founded by the Spanish, it already existed as a native village.

Note - July 25 is the legal holiday in Guayaquil. Historians have not yet reached a consensus about the date of Guayaquil's foundation or founder. The city might have been founded more than once. Another possible founder might be Diego de Almagro.

In 1600 Guayaquil had a population of about 2,000 people; by 1700 the city had a population of over 10,000.

In 1687, Guayaquil was attacked and looted by English and French pirates under the command of George d'Hout (English) and Picard and Groniet (Frenchmen). Of the more than 260 pirates, 35 died and 46 were wounded; 75 defenders of the city died and more than 100 were wounded. The pirates took local women as concubines. Quito paid the ransom demanded by the pirates with the condition they release the hostages and not burn Guayaquil.

Monument depicting the meeting between Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín.

In 1709, the English captains Woodes Rogers, Etienne Courtney, and William Dampier along with 110 other pirates, looted Guayaquil and demanded ransom; however, they suddenly departed without collecting the ransom after an epidemic of yellow fever broke out.

In October 9, 1820, almost without bloodshed, a group of civilians supported by soldiers from the "Granaderos de Reserva", a battalion quartered in Guayaquil, overwhelmed the resistance of the Royalist guards and arrested the Spanish authorities. Guayaquil declared independence from Spain, becoming Provincia Libre de Guayaquil, and José Joaquín de Olmedo was named Jefe Civil (Civil Chief) of Guayaquil. This would prove to be a key victory for the Ecuadorian War of Independence.

On July 26, 1822, José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar held a famous conference in Guayaquil to plan for the independence of Spanish South America.

The city suffered from a major fire in 1896 which destroyed large portions of the city.

The city has been invaded by the Peruvian Military on two occasions: in 1829 and 1860.

Guayaquil at present

World Trade Centre Guayaquil.

Intersection of av. 9 de octubre and Panama, in the centre of Guayaquil.

Present-day Guayaquil continues its tradition of trade, although the city is expanding its tourism base, by beautifying the city and an improvement in the citizens' self-esteem . This process has taken years, comprising the last two municipal administrations. Despite having few historic buildings, renovations and expansions of levees, squares, parks, and some districts have turned Guayaquil into a national and international tourist destination. It is now a headquarters for fairs and international events.

Guayaquileños main source of income are: formal and informal trade, business, agriculture and aquaculture; trade in the vast majority of the population consists of SMB, adding an important informal economy occupation that gives thousands of guayaquileños employment. ^[1] Despite this, Guayaquil is the city with the highest rate of underemployment (about 40% of the economically active population) and unemployment (about 11% of the economically active population) of Ecuador.

Guayaquil maintains an infrastructure for import and export of products with international standards. Among its major trading points are the Seaport, the largest in Ecuador and one of the biggest influx of shipping on the shores of the Pacific and José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport. Additionally, it has an infrastructure of roads to other cities and provinces, which are considered the best in the country.

Ongoing projects seek urban regeneration as a principal objective to the growth of the city's commercial districts, as the increase of capital produces income. These projects in the city driven by the recent mayors have achieved this goal after investing large sums of money. The current municipal administration aims to convert Guayaquil into a place for first-class international tourism and business multinationals. ^[2]

Government

Guayaquil's current mayor (alcalde) is Jaime Nebot [ˈxai.me ne.ˈβot], a well-known member of the political party Partido Social Cristiano. Jaime Nebot began a campaign of construction projects for the city in the late 1990s to attract tourism, that included the "urban regeneration", which reconstructed the city in all levels including sidewalks, parks, sewer system, it took the power and telephone lines underground, it saw a lot of reconstruction of the city's chaotic transit system with the construction of multiple infrastructures (streets, speedways, overhead passages, tunnels, etc.).

In August 2006, the city's first bus rapid transit system, [[Metrovía]], opened to provide a quicker, high-capacity service. One of the main projects was called Malecón 2000 [ma.le.ˈkon ðoz ˈmil], the renovation of the breakwater (malecón) along the Guayas River with the addition of a boardwalk in 2000. Another project was the creation of the Nuevo Parque Histórico, a park in a housing development area that is called Entre Ríos because it lies between the Daule and Babahoyo rivers (which confluence to form the Guayas river), in a mangrove wetland area. The park cost the city about 7 million dollars. It is a refuge for fauna and a zone of historical-architecture preservation, and has a traditions-and-history exhibition centre. The idea of the creation of this park came from Ecuador's central bank in 1982, as part of their "Rescate Arquitectónico" ("Architectural Rescue") programme.

Guayaquil City Sectors

Guayaquil City Territorial Organisation Number of the sector in reference with the City Map
		#	Sectors	#	Sectors	#	Sectors
		1	9 de Octubre Este	25	Febres Cordero	49	Prosperina
		2	9 de Octubre Oeste	26	Floresta	50	Puerto Azul Norte
		3	Abel Gilbert	27	La Florida	51	Puerto Azul Sur
		4	Acuarela	28	García Moreno	52	Puerto Lisa
		5	Los Álamos	29	Garzota	53	Quinto Guayas Este
		6	Alborada Este	30	Guangala	54	Quinto Guayas Oeste
		7	Alborada Oeste	31	Guasmo Este	55	Río Guayas
		8	Los Almendros	32	Guasmo Oeste	56	Roca
		9	Las Américas	33	Huancavilca	57	Rocafuerte
		10	Atarazana	34	Isla Trinitaria	58	La Saiba
		11	Ayacucho	35	Kennedy	59	Samanes
		12	Bastión Popular	36	Letamendi	60	San Eduardo
		13	Batallón del Suburbio	37	Luz del Guayas	61	Los Sauces
		14	Bellavista	38	Mapasingue	62	Simón Bolívar
		15	Bolívar	39	Miraflores	63	Sopeña
		16	Los Ceibos	40	Monte Bello	64	Sucre
		17	Centenario	41	Olmedo	65	Tarqui
		18	Cerro del Carmen	42	Las Orquidias Este	66	Unión
		19	Cóndor	43	Las Orquidias Oeste	67	Urdenor
		20	Cuba	44	Paraíso	68	Urdaneta
		21	Del Astillero	45	Pascuales	69	Urdesa
		22	Estero Salado	46	Pedro Carbo	70	Los Vergeles
		23	Los Esteros	47	Las Peñas	71	Ximena
		24	La FAE	48	La Pradera

Demographics

According to the most recent census (2001), its population was 1.985.379.

Food

Bandera: Arroz con bistec de carne y puré

Typical Guayaquil cuisine includes encebollado (one of many typical seafood soups), ceviche, arroz con menestra y carne (rice and beans with grilled or fried beef)[1], patacones (twice-fried plantain slices), and pan de yuca (bread made from cassava), and llapingachos, fried potato cakes with cheese. Depending where you stay and if you want a night snack, there are usually people out in carts selling morocho and papi-pollo, Caldo de manguera.

Notable people

Artists

Ecuador is known for its artists and its place in art history. Many of them were born in Guayaquil, such as:

Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art (MAAC), near the breakwater (photo taken in 2000).

• Félix Arauz (b. 1935, Guayaquil)
• Xavier Blum Pinto (b. 1957, Guayaquil)
• Theo Constanté (b.1934, Guayaquil)
• Araceli Gilbert (b. 1913, Guayaquil - d. 1993, Quito)
• Julio Jaramillo (b. 1935, Guayaquil - d. 1978, Guayaquil)
• Luis Lara (b. 1945, Guayaquil)
• Luis Miranda (b. 1932, Guayaquil)
• Luis Molinari (b. 1929, Guayaquil)
• Enrique Tábara (b. 1930, Guayaquil)
• Jorge Velarde (b. 1960, Guayaquil)
• Rony Vera (b. 1965, Guayaquil)
• Juan Villafuerte (b. 1945, Guayaquil; d. 1977, Barcelona, Spain)
• Jaime Villa (b. 1934, Guayaquil)

Branch of the Ecuadorian Central Bank (Banco Central del Ecuador or BCE) in Guayaquil (December 8, 2004).

Others

Other notable people from Guayaquil include:

• animator Mike Judge
• poets José Joaquín de Olmedo and Adalberto Ortiz
• Frederick Ashton, dancer and choreographer
• pioneer of theater/radio/film and famous actor and director Paco Villar
• scholar Benjamín Urrutia
• former world's oldest person María Capovilla
• violinist Jorge Saade
• former actor Albert Paulsen
• operatic soprano Beatriz Parra Durango,
• rapper Gerardo Mejia, made famous during the early 90s for his song "Rico Suave"
• tennis player Pancho Segura who in 1950 and 1952 was the world's Co-No. 1 player
• Andrés Gómez, who won the ATP Championship of Roland Garros in Paris, France in 1990
• the mother of spoken word poet Emanuel Xavier
• David "Guayaco" Villacís - Number 4 of 7 founders for Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Inc. Tau Beta Chapter
• Outstanding Engineer Xavier Burbano

Religious buildings

Guayaquil has a cathedral and many other Roman Catholic churches. There is a Temple and many chapels of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many other faiths and religions are represented throughout the city.

Sports

Barcelona's Stadium Estadio Monumental The Second Largest Stadium in South America.

There are two major soccer clubs. The Barcelona Sporting Club and the Club Sport Emelec. Both clubs have their own stadiums, The Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo is the home of the "Barcelonistas" while the Estadio George Capwell is the home of the "Emeleccistas". These two teams have a long history of rivalry in Guayaquil and when these two teams play against each other the game is called "El Clásico del Astillero". (Emelec is short for "Empresa Electrica del Ecuador" - the team was sponsored by the electric power company when founded.)

The city is also the home of Nicolas Lapentti, an active tennis player that is top 100 at the Current ATP Race.

The "Abierto de Tenis Ciudad de Guayaquil" is a tennis tournament organised in Guayaquil every year by Andrés Gómez and Luis Morejon in November of every year.

Another major event in the city is the Guayaquil Marathon, organised by DM3, which is held every year on the first weekend of October since 2005. These race is certified by the (AIMS) Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.

Universities

Some of Guayaquil's main universities are:

• Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral
• Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo UEES
• Universidad de Guayaquil
• Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil
• Universidad Laica Vicente Rocafuerte
• Universidad Casa Grande
• Universidad Santa Maria
• Blue Hill College
• Brookdale Community College
• Universidad Del Pacífico
• IGACD-Institute of Graphics Arts and Digital Science

Notable places

Las Peñas Neighborhood.

The Malecón 2000 is a restoration project of the historic Simon Bolivar Pier. It will be a symbolic centre of the city, a mix of green areas and shopping.

The Palacio Municipal is located in front of the Malecón and holds the political offices of city and provincial officials. Built in a neoclassical style, it is considered one of the most important architectural works in the country.

Las Peñas is a neighbourhood in the northeast corner of the city centre; is the artistic centre of the city. Many of the area's 400-year-old houses have been converted into art galleries and several notable artists have studios in the area.

The Mercado Artesanal is the largest artisan market in the city. The market is housed in a 240-shop building that takes up the entire block of Baquerizo Avenue, between Loja and Juan Montalvo streets. Its many vendors sell indigenous crafts, jewellery, and paintings.

Parque Centenario is located on 9 de Octubre street, between Lorenzo de Garaycoa and Quito. This is the largest park in the town centre, occupying four city blocks. It offers shady refuge from the equatorial sun, with large trees arching over the walkways and lawns. A large Statue of Liberty dominates the central area of the park.

Parque Seminario (also known as Parque de Las Iguanas or Iguana Park) located on 10 de Agosto Avenue and Chile Avenue, is home to many iguanas, some of which approach 5 feet in length. Tourists and locals alike often feed the iguanas mango slices from park vendors. There is also a pond filled with colourful Japanese Tilapia. An equestrian statue of Simón Bolívar is located in the centre of the park.

Bahia is a popular marketplace for toys, clothing, electronic goods, DVDs, and CDs.

Sister cities

Guayaquil has city partnerships with the following cities and/or regions:

• Since 2001: Shanghai, People's Republic of China
• Santiago, Chile
• Concepción, Chile
• Houston, Texas, USA (1987)
• Genoa, Italy
• Barcelona, Spain
• Bogotá, Colombia

See also

• Ecuador
• Quito
• List of urban parishes in Guayaquil
• José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport

References

External links

• Municipalidad de Guayaquil
• Photos of Guayaquil I
• Photos of Guayaquil II
• Guayaquil at Google Maps
• The Tramways of Guayaquil
• Barrio De Paz - A documentary about gang culture in Guayaquil on OneWorldTV

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