Reference no: EM133087243

After graduation, you have been employed by a large consulting firm that specializes in advising U.S. clients on exporting to various overseas markets. Your firm has specialized in European and Asian markets, but now sees opportunities for advising clients about the Latin American market. You and seven of your colleagues have each been assigned a specific country in Latin America. Yours is Ecuador.

You start your research by obtaining some basic facts about the country. Its name is Spanish for "Equator," obviously derived from the fact that it is located on the equator. Its capital, Quito, is 9,300 feet above sea level; it has fairly constant year-round temperatures of 75° (high) and 55° (low).

Ecuador's population is 16 million, or 138.4 people per square mile. Sixty-six percent live in urban areas. Spanish is the official language and 95 percent of its people are Catholics. Its landmass is about 109,000 square miles.

Major industries in Ecuador include oil, food processing, textiles, wood products, and chemicals. Its chief crops are bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, and sugar cane. Its GDP was $158 billion in 2013, with a per capita GDP of $11,000. Its currency is the U.S. dollar. Twenty-eight percent of its imports come from the United States; 37 percent of its exports go to that nation.

Your boss wants you to develop a cultural map of Ecuador so that your firm can include this in its prospectus to potential clients. You begin by noting that its official language is Spanish and 95 percent of its people are practicing Catholics.

Questions:

What sources about Ecuador should you consult to obtain cultural information about this country that will need to be included in your cultural map?

What other aspects of Ecuadorian culture, other than its predominant religion and language, might affect that country's culture?