Ecuador

I was under the impression we were going to be giving a presentation on the country where we will be spending the summer. So, with that in mind, I did a bit or research. Here is what I learned:

-as it name suggests, it is derived from the word equator, and it is in fact on the equator
-there are three main land regions: mountain, forest, and coastal
-it is a country of much geographic variety - you can see rainforest as well as volcanoes there
-it is famous for the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin made his first discoveries that led to the writing of The Origin of Species
-there are thousands of species of plants and animals, more than many other countries
-it is easy and inexpensive to get from place to place, and buses will stop anywhere along the route to pick up passengers
-one tourist attraction is the city of Banos, which is a city with many natural hot springs that contain sulfurous compounds that are good for your skin.
-a local specialty in Banos is taffy that is pulled in the doorways of shops
-the local language is Spanish, though there are many Indigenous people living there as well
-it is considered one of the safest countries in South America
-another specialty dish is guinea pig (which, after becoming acquainted with my friend's two pet guinea pigs Squeaky and Chica, I hope to avoid during my stay there)
-like many other countries in South America, there has been a fair amount of political unrest there

I'm sure there are things that I have forgotten, but those are the ones that I could recall. I look forward to learning more about this country as the time I will spend there gets closer.