The National Geographic Bee ultimate fact book Countries A to Z

Gr 5 Up-Consider this world tour of trivia a ready-reference tour de force. Wojtanik, 2004 Winner of the National Geography Bee, provides one-stop shopping for those assembling geographic facts for reports, term papers, and projects. Plus, herein lies the luxury of satisfying curiosity about, say, the tallest waterfall (Angel Falls, Venezuela) or figuring out which countries are now part of Eastern Europe versus Asia without Googling. In what is essentially a published version of Wojtanik's self-described "monstrous packet" of study notes, information about the world's 195 independent countries is subdivided using three main headings-"Physical," "Political," and "Environmental/Economic." All the fast facts are here, beginning with official country name, continent, area, population, population density, and capital. A black-and-white map of each country notes major cities, adjacent countries, and coordinates to provide visual context for researchers. "World and Continent Maps" opens the book and a page of "Geographic Extremes" supplies a neat conclusion. In addition to physical features and major exports and imports, the dates of independence, administrative divisions (e.g., states), current leader, and type of currency will keep readers informed on the basics of current world politics. Librarians won't regret this purchase.-Christina Connolly, Clark University, Worcester, MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

ECUADOR   Ecuador: Country name: Republic of Ecuador Continent: South America Area: 109,483 sq mi / 283,560 sq km Population: 14,666,000 Population Density: 134 people per sq mi / 52 people per sq km (most dense in South America) Capital: Quito   Physical Highest Point: Chimborazo 20,561 ft / 6,267 m Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean 0 ft / 0 m (sea level) Mountain ranges:      Andes:             •cover much of Ecuador             •extend into Colombia and Peru Peaks (minimum elevation of 8,000 ft / 2,400 m):      Chimborazo:             •located in the Andes             •highest point in Ecuador Rain Forests:      Amazon:             •located in eastern Ecuador             •extends into Colombia and Peru             •largest rain forest in the world Oceans:      Pacific:             •forms most of the western coast of Ecuador Gulfs:             Gulf of Guayaquil:             •forms the southwestern coast of Ecuador Rivers:      Pastaza:             •has its source in the Andes             •extends into Peru Putumayo:             •forms part of the Ecuador-Colombia border             •extends into Colombia   Political: Independence: May 24, 1822 (from Spain) Bordering Countries: Peru, Colombia (2) Administrative Divisions: Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe (24 provinces) Ethnic/Racial Groups: mestizo, Amerindian, black Religion: Christianity (Roman Catholic) Languages: Spanish, Quechua Currency: U.S. dollar Current President: Rafael Correa Delgado Cities (capital, largest, or with at least a million people):      Guayaquil:             •located in western Ecuador             •city in the Guayas province of Ecuador             •most populated city in Ecuador (2,690,000 people)             •chief port on the Gulf of Guayaquil      Quito:             •located in northern Ecuador             •city in the Pichincha province of Ecuador             •capital of Ecuador (1,801,000 people)             •located in a valley in the Andes   Environmental/Economic: Climate: tropical along the coasts and in the rain forest; cooler in the highlands Natural Resources: petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower Agricultural Products: bananas, coffee, cacao, rice, cattle major exports: petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cacao Natural Hazards: earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes, floods, droughts Excerpted from The National Geographic Bee Ultimate Fact Book: Countries A to Z by Andrew Wojtanik All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.