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GUAYAS, or EL GUAYAS
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See also:GUAYAS, or EL GUAYAS , a See also:coast See also:province of See also:Ecuador, bounded N. by Manabi and Pichincha, E. by Los Rios, Canar and See also:Azuay, S. by El Oro and the Gulf of See also:Guayaquil, and W. by the same gulf, the Pacific Ocean and the province of Manabi. Pop. (1893, estimate) 98,100; See also:area, 11,504 sq. m. It is very irregular in See also:form and comprises the See also:low alluvial districts surrounding the Gulf of Guayaquil between the Western Cordilleras and the coast. It includes (since 1885) the Galapagos Islands, lying 600 m. off the coast. The province of Guayas is heavily forested and traversed by numerous See also:rivers, for the most See also:part tributaries of the Guayas See also:river, which enters the gulf from the N. This river See also:system has a drainage area of about 14,000 sq. m. and an aggregate of 200 M. of navigable channels in the See also:rainy See also:season. Its See also:principal tributaries are the Daule and Babahoyo or Chimbo (also called Bodegas), and of the latter the Vinces and Yaguachi. The See also:climate is hot, humid and unhealthy, bilious and malarial fevers being prevalent. The rainfall is abundant and the See also:soil is deep and fertile. See also:Agriculture and the collection of See also:forest products are the See also:chief See also:industries. The See also:staple products are cacao, See also:coffee, See also:sugar-See also:cane, See also:cotton, See also:tobacco and See also:rice. The cultivation of cacao is the principal See also:industry, the exports forming about one-third the See also:world's See also:supply. Stock-raising is also carried on to a limited extent. Among forest products are See also:rubber, See also:cinchona bark, toquilla fibre and See also:ivory nuts. The manufacture of so-called See also:Panama hats from the fibre of the toquilla See also:palm (commonly called jipijapa, after a See also:town in Manabi famous for this industry) is a See also:long-established domestic industry among the natives of this and other coast provinces, the humidity of the climate greatly facilitating the See also:work of plaiting the delicate straws, which would be broken in a dry See also:atmosphere. Guayas is the chief See also:industrial and commercial province of the See also:republic, about nineteen-twentieths of the See also:commerce of Ecuador passing through the See also:port of its See also:capital, Guayaquil. There are no See also:land transport routes in the province except the See also:Quito & Guayaquil railway, which traverses its eastern See also:half. The sluggish river channels which intersect the greater part of its territory afford excellent facilities for transporting produce, and a large number of small boats are regularly engaged in that See also:traffic. There are no large towns in Guayas other than Guayaquil. See also:Duran, on the Guayas river opposite Guayaquil, is the starting point of the Quito railway and contains the shops and offices of that See also:line. The port of See also:Santa Elena on a See also:bay of the same name, about 65 m. W. of Guayaquil, is a landing-point of the See also:West Coast See also:cable, and a port of See also:call for some of the See also:regular steamship lines. Its exports are chiefly Panama hats and See also:salt. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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