Orellana, El ultimo paraiso, Ecuador

Postcards

Francisco de Orellana is the capital of the youngest province of Ecuador, Orellana. Also known as El Coca, which is located very close to the dense rainforests in the Amazon, near the confluence of the Coca and Napo River. Its name comes from the Spanish expeditionary Francisco de Orellana who are in these territories in search of El Dorado, but during his journey he discovered the Amazon River. 

Stamps 

(left) The Mitad del Mundo (Spanish: Middle of the World) is a tract of land owned by the prefecture of the province of Pichincha, Ecuador. The 30-meter-tall monument, built between 1979 and 1982, was constructed to mark the point where the equator passes through the country.

 

(right) Independence Day in Ecuador is celebrated on August 10, to commemorate the day when the group of local patriots started a revolt against the president Ruiz de Castilla and established Juan Pio Montufar as the president.

That day in 1809 is now referred to as the ‘Primer grito de independencia’ which marks the beginning of Ecuadorian struggle for independence. The Spanish were finally defeated in 1822 and Ecuador became part of the Gran Colombia, an alliance formed by Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.