Guayas Province, Ecuador
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'''Guayas''' is the most populated [[province]] in [[Ecuador]]. It was named for the [[Guayas River]], which flows through the province. Its [[capital]] is [[Guayaquil]], the largest [[city]] in Ecuador and its main [[port]]. It is the [[List of Ecuadorian provinces by area|fourth largest province in the country]], with an area of 20,902 [[km²]].
== Geography ==
[[Image:EC-guayas-map.PNG|thumb|350px|right|Map of Guayas Province in Ecuador.]]
Guayas is bounded on the northwest and west by [[Manabí Province|Manabí]], on the northeast and east by [[Los Ríos Province|Los Ríos]] and [[Bolívar Province, Ecuador|Bolívar]], on the south by [[El Oro Province|El Oro]], on the west and southwest by the [[Pacific Ocean]] or [[Gulf of Guayaquil]], and on the east by [[Chimborazo Province|Chimborazo]], [[Cañar Province|Cañar]] and [[Azuay Province|Azuay]].
[[Guayaquil]] is the [[capital]] of the province and the largest city in the country.
The province is one of the six provinces in the Coast Region, a natural [[region]] of Ecuador.
===Natural regions===
Guayas' natural terrain is very diverse. The province has no elevations, except for the [[Coastal Range]], which starts in Guayaquil and goes to [[Manabí Province|Manabí]]. The areas west of the Coastal Range are [[desert]]ic, with an average temperature of 23°[[Celsius|C]]. The areas east of the range belong to the [[Guayas River|Guayas]] [[drainage basin|Watershed]]. They are quite [[humid]] and [[fertile]], especially in the north of the province, with an average temperature of 30°C in the humid [[season]] (December–May) and 25°C in the dry season (June–November).
===Hydrography===
The most important river in the province is the [[Daule River]], which flows from the north to join the [[Babahoyo River]] to form the Guayas river. The province is part of the largest [[drainage basin|river basin]] in [[South America]] west of the [[Andes Mountains]].
===Roads===
Guayas has its own system when numbering [[roads]]. Nevertheless, this system is unknown for most residents, so it is not regularly used.
The interprovincial roads are also numbered with the national system. Even routes travel north-south; odd routes travel east-west. The interprovincial roads that cross the province are the following:
*[[Ecuador Highway 15]] (Vía del Pacífico; Pacific Way)
*[[Ecuador Highway 25]] (Troncal de la Costa; Coastal Main Way)
*[[Ecuador Highway 40]] (Transversal Austral; Austral Crossing Way)
== History ==
===Pre-Hispanic cultures===
The most important Pre-Hispanic [[cultures]] living in Guayas were the [[Valdivia Culture|Valdivia]], the Machalilla, and the Chorrera Cultures. Exactly before the European discovery of America, the [[Huancavilca]] Culture was living in the province. They are the [[ancestor]]s of a large part of the population of the province.
===Spanish conquest and independence===
Guayaquil was founded on [[August 14]], [[1534]] (its [[wiktionary:foundation|foundation]] is celebrated on [[July 25]]). During the [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire|conquest]], Guayaquil became one of the most important [[port]]s in [[South America]]. The city became [[independence|free]] on [[October 9]], [[1820]], and the Guayaquil [[Department (subnational entity)|Department]] (one of the original subdivisions of Ecuador) was founded soon afterwards. It consisted on the [[Manabí Province]], and the Guayaquil Province, which was later renamed Guayas. The Guayaquil Province included territory of what now is Peruvian [[Tumbes]], and today's [[Los Ríos]] and [[El Oro Province|El Oro]]. The provinces were separated from Guayas in [[1860]] and [[1884]], respectively.
===Urbanization===
Guayas is the most populated province in the country. In the last decades, there has been a massive exit from [[rural]] areas to the main cities (especially [[Guayaquil]]). This has created a problem in Guayaquil, as most of the migrants invade municipal areas, creating [[shantytown]]s, with no [[Public services|service]]s like [[water]] or [[electricity]].
== Demographics ==
Guayas is the most populated province in the country. The estimated population of the province in [[2003]] was about 3,360,000 people. A large percentage of the [[population]] are ''[[mestizo]]s'', or descendants of both [[Spaniard]]s and [[Native American (Americas)|Native American]]s.
== Political Division ==
The province is divided in 25 [[cantons of Ecuador|cantons]].
:Canton (Capital)
# [[Jujan (canton)|Jujan]] ([[Jujan]])
# [[Balao (canton)|Balao]] ([[Balao]])
# [[Balzar (canton)|Balzar]] ([[Balzar]])
# [[Colimes (canton)|Colimes]] ([[Colimes]])
# [[Coronel Marcelino Maridueña (canton)|Coronel Marcelino Maridueña]] ([[Coronel Marcelino Maridueña]])
# [[Daule (canton)|Daule]] ([[Daule, Ecuador|Daule]])
# [[Durán (canton)|Durán]] ([[Durán, Ecuador|Durán]])
# [[El Empalme (canton)|El Empalme]]([[El Empalme]])
# [[El Triunfo (canton)|El Triunfo]] ([[El Triunfo, Ecuador|El Triunfo]])
# [[Bucay (canton)|Bucay]] ([[Bucay]])
# [[Guayaquil (canton)|Guayaquil]] ([[Guayaquil]])
# [[Isidro Ayora (canton)|Isidro Ayora]] ([[Isidro Ayora, Ecuador|Isidro Ayora]])
# [[Lomas de Sargentillo (canton)|Lomas de Sargentillo]] ([[Lomas de Sargentillo]])
# [[Milagro (canton)|Milagro]] ([[Milagro, Ecuador|Milagro]])
# [[Naranjal (canton)|Naranjal]] ([[Naranjal, Ecuador|Naranjal]])
# [[Naranjito (canton)|Naranjito]] ([[Naranjito, Ecuador|Naranjito]])
# [[Nobol (canton)|Nobol]] ([[Nobol]])
# [[Palestina (canton)|Palestina]] ([[Palestina, Ecuador|Palestina]])
# [[Pedro Carbo (canton)|Pedro Carbo]] ([[Pedro Carbo]])
# [[Playas (canton)|Playas]] ([[Playas, Ecuador|Playas]])
# [[Samborondón (canton)|Samborondón]] ([[Samborondón]])
# [[Santa Lucía (canton)|Santa Lucía]] ([[Santa Lucía, Ecuador|Santa Lucía]])
# [[Simón Bolívar (canton)|Simón Bolívar]] ([[Simón Bolívar, Ecuador|Simón Bolívar]])
# [[Urbina Jado (canton)|Urbina Jado]] ([[Salitre]])
# [[Yaguachi (canton)|Yaguachi]] ([[Yaguachi]])
==External links==
*[http://www.guayas.gov.ec/ Provincial Prefecture's Official Page]
{{Provinces of Ecuador}}
[[Category:Guayas Province, Ecuador|*]]
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