Orellana Province

Orellana (Spanish pronunciation: [oɾeˈʝana]) is an inland province of Ecuador. The capital is Puerto Francisco de Orellana (also known as Coca). It was created on July 30, 1998, from part of Napo Province.

This article is about Orellana. For the town in Peru, see Orellana (Peru). For the explorer, see Francisco de Orellana. For other uses, see Orellana (disambiguation).
Orellana
Province
Province of Orellana
Flag
Location of Orellana Province in Ecuador.
Cantons of Orellana Province
CountryEcuador
EstablishedJuly 28, 1998
Founded byAlejandro Labaca
Named forFrancisco de Orellana
CapitalPuerto Francisco de Orellana
CantonsList of Cantons
Area
 • Total21,692.10 km2 (8,375.37 sq mi)
Population
 (2010 census)
 • Total136,396
 • Density6.3/km2 (16/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-5 (ECT)
Vehicle registrationQ
HDI (2017)0.701[1]
high · 23rd
Websitewww.orellana.gob.ec

The name of the province derives from the explorer Francisco de Orellana who it is told to have sailed from somewhere near the town to the Atlantic Ocean. He did this trip several times looking for the gold city of El Dorado and in search of a rumored Nutmeg forest which at the time was a very expensive spice. During his voyages he met a ferocious tribe of Indians who attacked his ships and many among them were women. This led to the naming of the river as the Amazon river. The province is divided in four cantons.

Cantons

The province is divided into four cantons. The following table lists each with its population at the 2001 census, its area in square kilometres (km²), and the name of the canton seat or capital.[2]

CantonPop. (2001)Area (km²)Seat/Capital
Aguarico4,65811,358Nuevo Rocafuerte
Francisco de Orellana42,0106,995Puerto Francisco de Orellana (Coca)
Joya de los Sachas26,3631,195La Joya de los Sachas
Loreto13,4622,127Loreto

Demographics

Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census of 2010:[3]

  • Mestizo 57.5%
  • Indigenous 31.8%
  • Afro-Ecuadorian 4.9%
  • White 4.4%
  • Montubio 1.2%
  • Other 0.2%

Economy

Jungle composes most of the province's territory, forcing it to rely primarily on exports of crude oil, and timber. Its second most important source of income is tourism, offering jungle exploration, indigenous encounters, and rivers. Mining is the third reliable source of income.

Places of interest

See also

References
  1. Villalba, Juan. "Human Development Index in Ecuador". Scribd (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  2. Cantons of Ecuador. Statoids.com. Retrieved 4 November 2009.

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