Guayaquil Port: Ecuador's Commercial Heartbeat
Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and main port — 70% of Ecuador's imports and exports pass through the Guayas River port; the city's commercial energy, its immigrant history, and its role as gateway to the Galápagos define its identity
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Ecuador's commercial capital
Guayaquil handles the vast majority of Ecuador's trade – bananas (Ecuador is the world's largest exporter), cocoa, shrimp and oil flow through the port; the city's commercial vitality, in contrast to the administrative capital of Quito, gives Guayaquil a mercantile energy
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Banana Export History
Ecuador became the world's leading banana exporter in the 1950s — the coastal lowlands of Guayas and the port of Guayaquil were central to this transformation; The legacy of the United Fruit Company and the social impact of the banana industry define the economic history of the Guayacan coast
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Galápagos Gateway
All commercial flights to the Galápagos depart from Guayaquil — the city is the necessary first stop for the world's most extraordinary wildlife destination; Guayaquil airport (and Quito) is the only entrance for the 300,000 annual Galápagos visitors
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Immigrant Communities
Guayaquil's commercial prosperity attracted immigrants from all over the world – Lebanese, Chinese, Spanish and Colombian communities all established themselves in the city; the Lebanese community in particular has produced several of Ecuador's most prominent business families
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Simón Bolívar Park
Parque Simón Bolívar – with its famous komodo dragons (actually black iguanas) living freely in the trees – is Guayaquil's most unusual urban park; the large iguanas, completely comfortable around humans, hang from branches and sunbathe on the park benches
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Rivalry between Guayaquil and Quito
The historical rivalry between Guayaquil (coastal, commercial, liberal) and Quito (Andean, administrative, conservative) has structured Ecuadorian politics since independence; the rivalry – expressed in sports, politics and cultural identity – is Ecuador's defining social tension