Every Day Is Special: August 10 – Independence Day in Ecuador

August 10 – Independence Day in Ecuador

Published on August 10, 2013

Ecuador lies on the equator. It's a South American country, and it's primary language is Spanish. You might think that Ecuadorians would use pesos or reales for money (they used to)...but you would be wrong.

Instead, Ecuadorians use U.S. dollars!

Here is a list of countries that have adopted the U.S. dollar as their “legal tender”:

Bonaire

British Virgin Islands

East Timor

Ecuador

El Salvador

Fed. States of Micronesia

Marshall Islands

Palau

Panama

Saba

Sint Eustatius

Turks and Caicos Islands

By the way, just because these nations have adopted the U.S. dollar, it doesn't mean that they have adopted pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Instead, Ecuador offers centavo coins.

I read on a travel website that, although Ecuadorians use U.S. dollars, most vendors do not have very much change. You couldn't use a $20 bill to buy a $5 item there (unless you're in a “keep the change” sort of mood), like you can in the U.S. So travelers are urged to bring lots and lots of ones and fives.

Whether you are using your U.S. dollars to purchase roasted guinea pig (a common food in Ecuador!) or roasted maize kernels (a bit like popcorn), ice cream from a street vendor at midnight or fresh-squeezed “tree tomato” juice from a sidewalk market in the morning...Ecuador has lots of interesting foods to try and (hopefully) enjoy.

More on Ecuador...

The Galapagos Islands, famous for the unique creatures that Darwin studied before coming up with his theory of evolution through natural
selection, are a part of Ecuador.

There are 131 species of hummingbirds in Ecuador, more than any other country.

Ecuador exports more bananas than any other country in the world—almost 1/3 of the world's supply! (Even though Ecuador is only about the size of Nevada!)