Tungurahua Province

Tungurahua
Province
Province of Tungurahua
Landscape near Baños
Flag Seal
Tungurahua Province in Ecuador
Cantons of Tungurahua Province
Coordinates: 1°14′S 78°37′W / 1.233°S 78.617°W / -1.233; -78.617
Country	Ecuador
Capital	Ambato
Cantons	List of cantons Ambato Baños de Agua Santa Cevallos Mocha Patate Quero San Pedro de Pelileo Santiago de Pillaro Tisaleo
Government
• Provincial Prefect	Fernando Naranjo (Unidad Intercultural)
Area
• Total	3,371 km2 (1,302 sq mi)
Elevation	2,600 m (8,500 ft)
Highest elevation	5,016 m (16,457 ft)
Lowest elevation	900 m (3,000 ft)
Population (2011)INEC decadal national census
• Total	581,389
Time zone	ECT (UTC-5)

Tungurahua (Spanish: Provincia del Tungurahua, literally Province of the Tungurahua) is one of the twenty-four provinces of Ecuador. Its capital is Ambato. The province takes its name from the Tungurahua volcano, which is located within the boundaries of the provinces.

Population

As of 2011, Tungurahua had an estimated population of 581,389.^[1] Approximately 10% of that population is made up of indigenous peoples, while another 70% are of mestizo or mixed race heritage. The final 20% is made up of peoples of African, Asian, and European ancestry.

Climate

The province has a dry, temperate climate. Like all mountainous areas, the region experiences the phenomenon known as microclimates in which small portions of the province receive drastically different conditions from others due to winds and area pressure. Generally though, Tungurahua experiences temperatures in-between 14 and 17 degree Celsius in the day-time with cooler nights. At higher altitudes, conditions are obviously much colder. Despite being near the Equator, mountains like Carihuayrazo and Chimborazo are covered in snow for much of the year.^[2]

Geography

The province is very mountainous, containing the Tungurahua volcano near Baños as well as bordering the Carihuayrazo and Chimborazo volcanoes to the south. Baños is the biggest tourist destination. The principal river of the province is the Patate River which flows to the east toward the Amazon Region.^[3]

Political division

The province is divided into nine cantons which stretch from Ambato in the west to Baños in the east. The following table lists each with its population as of the 2001 census, its area in square kilometres (km²), and the name of the canton seat or capital.^[4]

Places of interest

• Parque de la Familia
• Llanganates National Park

See also

• Chibuleo
• Provinces of Ecuador
• Cantons of Ecuador

References

v t e Provinces of Ecuador Azuay Bolívar Cañar Carchi Chimborazo Cotopaxi El Oro Esmeraldas Galápagos Guayas Imbabura Loja Los Ríos Manabí Morona-Santiago Napo Orellana Pastaza Pichincha Santa Elena Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Sucumbíos Tungurahua Zamora-Chinchipe