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Guayas | |
|---|---|
| Province of Guayas Provincia del Guayas (Spanish) | |
 | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: Through the great Guayas | |
 Location of Guayas in Ecuador. | |
 Cantons of Guayas Province | |
| Country | Ecuador |
| Established as anindependent state | 9 October 1820 |
| Established as a province | May 22, 1824 |
| Capital and largest city | Guayaquil |
| Cantons | List of cantons |
| Government | |
| • Prefect | Marcela Aguiñaga (RC) |
| • Vice Prefect | Carlos Serrano |
| • Governor | José Arévalo |
| Area | |
• Total | 16,244 km2 (6,272 sq mi) |
| Population (2022 census)[1] | |
• Total | 4,391,923 |
| • Rank | 1st in Ecuador |
| • Density | 270.37/km2 (700.26/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Guayasense |
| Vehicle registration | G |
| HDI (2017) | 0.768[2] high ·4th |
| Website | www |
Guayas (English:/ˈɡwɑːjəs/,Spanish:[ˈɡwaʝas]ⓘ) is a coastalprovince inEcuador. It is bordered to the west byManabí,Santa Elena, and thePacific Ocean (as theGulf of Guayaquil); to the east byLos Ríos,Bolívar,Chimborazo,Cañar, andAzuay; to the north byLos Ríos andBolívar; and to the south byEl Oro and thePacific Ocean.
With a population of over 4 million people, it is the most populousprovince in Ecuador. In terms of area it is theseventh largest province in the country. The main port of Ecuador,Guayaquil, is located within the province.
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Guayas' natural terrain is very diverse. The province has no elevations, except for theCoastal Range, which starts in Guayaquil and goes toManabí. The areas west of the Coastal Range aredesertic, with an average temperature of 23 °C. The areas east of the range belong to theGuayasWatershed. They are quitehumid andfertile, especially in the north of the province, with an average temperature of 30 °C in the humidseason (December–May) and 25 °C in the dry season (June–November).
The most important river in the province is theDaule River, which flows from the north to join theBabahoyo River to form the Guayas river. The province is part of the largestriver basin inSouth America west of theAndes Mountains.
Guayas has its own system for numberingroads. However, this system is unknown to most residents, so it is not regularly used.
The inter-provincial roads are also numbered with the national system. Even routes travel north–south; odd routes travel east–west. The inter-provincial roads that cross the province are the following:
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The native culture living in Guayas is theHuancavilca culture. Exactly before the European discovery of America, the Huancavilca Culture was living in the province. Their descendants make up a large part of the population of the province.
Guayaquil was founded on August 14, 1534 (itsfoundation is celebrated on July 25). During theSpanishconquest, Guayaquil became one of the most importantports inSouth America. The city becamefree on October 9, 1820, and the GuayaquilDepartment (one of the original subdivisions of Ecuador) was founded soon afterwards. It consisted of theManabí Province, and the Guayaquil Province, which was later renamed Guayas. The Guayaquil Province included territory of what now is PeruvianTumbes, and today'sLos Ríos andEl Oro. The provinces were separated from Guayas in 1860 and 1884, respectively.
Guayas is the most populous province in the country. In recent decades, there has been a massive exit fromrural areas to the main cities (especiallyGuayaquil). This has created a problem in Guayaquil, as most of the migrants move to municipal areas, creatingshantytowns, with noservices likewater orelectricity.
Guayas is the most populous province in the country. The estimated population of the province in 2003 was about 3,360,000 people. A large percentage of thepopulation aremestizos, i.e. descendants of bothSpanish andindigenous peoples, there are also big communities of people that descend fromItalians,Lebanese andGerman people.
Ethnic groups as of theEcuadorian census of 2010:[3]
The province is divided into 25cantons. The following table lists each with its population at the time of the 2010census, its area in square kilometres (km2), and the name of thecanton seat orcapital.[4]
| Canton | Pop. (2010)[5] | Area (km2) | Seat/Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno | 25,179 | 216 | Alfredo Baquerizo Moreno (Jujan) |
| Balao | 20,523 | 465 | Balao |
| Balzar | 53,937 | 1,173 | Balzar |
| Colimes | 23,423 | 758 | Colimes |
| Coronel Marcelino Maridueña | 12,033 | 255 | Coronel Marcelino Maridueña |
| Daule | 120,326 | 462 | Daule |
| Durán | 235,769 | 339 | Eloy Alfaro (Durán) |
| El Empalme | 74,451 | 711 | Velasco Ibarra (El Empalme) |
| El Triunfo | 44,778 | 389 | El Triunfo |
| General Antonio Elizalde | 10,642 | 152 | General Antonio Elizalde (Bucay) |
| Guayaquil | 2,350,915 | 5,237 | Guayaquil |
| Isidro Ayora | 10,870 | 492 | Isidro Ayora |
| Lomas de Sargentillo | 18,413 | 67 | Lomas de Sargentillo |
| Milagro | 166,634 | 401 | Milagro |
| Naranjal | 69,012 | 2,015 | Naranjal |
| Naranjito | 37,186 | 226 | Naranjito |
| Nobol | 19,600 | 128 | Narcisa de Jesús (Nobol) |
| Palestina | 16,065 | 194 | Palestina |
| Pedro Carbo | 43,436 | 927 | Pedro Carbo |
| Playas | 41,935 | 269 | General Villamil (Playas) |
| Salitre | 57,402 | 390 | Salitre |
| Samborondón | 67,590 | 388 | Samborondón |
| Santa Lucía | 38,923 | 348 | Santa Lucía |
| Simón Bolívar | 25,483 | 289 | Simón Bolívar |
| Yaguachi | 60,958 | 512 | Yaguachi |
| Geographic | |
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| Other | |
