Cotopaxi Province

Cotopaxi Province Provincia de Cotopaxi
flag
Location in Ecuador
Basic data
Capital	Latacunga
population	384,499 (2005,)
- Share in Ecuador	2.9%
- Rank in Ecuador	Rank 11 of 22
- density	73 inhabitants per km²
surface	5287 km²
- Share in Ecuador	2.1%
- Rank in Ecuador	Rank 17 out of 22
License Plate	X
Set up	1851
prefect	César Umaginga ( Pachakutik )
governor	Rómulo Cáceres
Seats in the National Congress	4 out of 100
structure	7 cantons
ISO 3166-2	EC-X
www.cotopaxi.gob.ec

The Cotopaxi Province is a province in Ecuador . It is located in the central Andean region of the country and has around 385,000 inhabitants on an area of ​​5287 km². The provincial capital is Latacunga . The province is named after the Cotopaxi volcano .

Location and geography

The province of Cotopaxi is located south of the capital Quito and the equator in the Ecuadorian Andean region known as the Sierra . It borders in the north on the province of Pichincha , in the east on the province of Napo , in the south on the provinces of Tungurahua and Bolívar and in the west on the provinces of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Los Ríos .

The 5,897 m high Cotopaxi volcano protrudes from the Andes mountain range. The province is characterized by the landscape of the Páramo ecosystem at its high altitude . This also determines the landscape around the Laguna de Quilotoa , a crater lake in the extinct volcano of the same name in the center of the province. The Illinois volcano is also partly in the province of Cotopaxi: The 5,248 m high southern summit Illinois Sur is in the province of Cotopaxi, the 5,226 m high northern summit Illinois Norte on the border with the Pichincha province.

The capital Latacunga, located at an altitude of 2850 m and designed according to the colonial pattern, was a sub-center between Quito, Tomebamba ( Cuenca ) and today's Peru even before the conquest . Despite repeated severe damage caused by eruptions of the Cotopaxi, parts of it have retained a colonial flair and have some representative republican buildings from the 19th century, including the town hall and the cathedral. In the vicinity of Latacunga is the former Tilipulo Monastery, which was founded by the Jesuits in the 18th century and whose building played an important role as a planning center in the War of Independence.

The province of Cotopaxi is also known for the "Mama Negra" celebrations, in which the fertility of the earth is celebrated.

history

The province of Cotopaxi was founded on April 1, 1851 under the name of Province of León . Before that it was part of the Departamento de Quito of Greater Colombia or the present-day province of Pichincha. The province of Cotopaxi has had its current name since 1938.

Since the 1960s, the province, whose economic structure is primarily characterized by agriculture and, in some cities, by handicrafts, has had high rates of emigration. These hikes go e.g. Sometimes to the capital Latacunga , but especially to the larger cities of Quito and Guayaquil as well as abroad. The reason for this is the inadequate infrastructure, especially in rural communities, in terms of energy and water supply, education and health care.

politics

César Umaginga has been prefect of the province since 2001. He belongs to the Pachakutik , the political movement of the Ecuadorian indigenous umbrella organization CONAIE . Mayor of the capital Latacunga is Rafael Maya from PRIAN , the party of the multimillionaire Álvaro Noboa .

The governor appointed by the president is called Rómulo Cáceres and is a supporter of the president's political movement, Movimiento PAÍS .

Cantons

Position of the cantons

The province of Cotopaxi currently consists of seven cantons . These are (in order of their establishment):

1. Latacunga (established in 1824, capital: Latacunga )
2. Pujilí (established in 1852, capital: Pujilí )
3. Salcedo (established in 1919, capital: San Miguel de Salcedo )
4. Pangua (established in 1938, capital: El Corazón )
5. Saquisilí (established in 1943, capital: Saquisilí )
6. La Maná (established in 1986, capital: La Maná )
7. Sigchos (established in 1992, capital: Sigchos)

Web links

• Information about the province of Cotopaxi (span.)

Remarks

1. ↑ POBLACION TOTAL Y TASA BRUTAS DE NATALIDAD, MORTALIDAD GENERAL, MORTALIDAD INFANTIL Y MATERNA SEGÚN REGIONES Y PROVINCIAS DE RESIDENCIA HABITUAL, AÑO 2003 ( Memento of October 15, 2005 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on October 13, 2007.

Coordinates: 0 ° 49 ′  S , 78 ° 53 ′  W