Ecuador, straddling the equator, features the Andes dividing into Western (4,500 m average) and Eastern Cordilleras, with Chimborazo at 6,263 m—the farthest from Earth's center due to equatorial bulge. Antisana (5,704 m) and Cotopaxi (5,897 m)—active volcano—highlight the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Formed by subduction 100 million years ago, these ranges drop to the Amazon basin east and coastal plains west. Sangay National Park hosts 3,000 plant species. The Galápagos Islands, 1,000 km offshore, rise from volcanic shields like Sierra Negra (1,700 m). This varied geography includes 11% glaciers and supports 1,600 bird species, including Andean cocks-of-the-rock.
