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What Others Say about Ecuador
Why is Ecuador One of the Best Places to Retire in the
World? Affordable Retirement Living For One
Why
is Ecuador One of the Best
Places to Retire in the World? Affordable Retirement Living For One
By Stephanie Hofstetler
The
Republic of Ecuador is fast
becoming the number one best retirement haven in the world.
One
could sum up retirement in this
South American country in one cliché-value for your money.
If
you're living on a tight budget,
some say that for US$250 you would be able to cover your expenses for
an entire
month. Just remember not to over spend and that you have to stick to
the budget
otherwise there is no point of putting up a monthly expense ceiling.
Apart
from purchasing groceries from
a local market to stock up on food and other personal necessities, that
could
probably sustain you for a month, you could probably indulge in one
frivolity
every month, such as buying a blouse or watch a movie with a friend.
If
you have grown bored of living in
Ecuador and would want to visit other countries, going in and out of
the
country has become less costly now that some airlines have introduced
lower
fares to some destinations. They have made this travel promotion
available to
foreign pensioners. Again, that is another way to put prime value for
your
money.
Retirees,
or those who are 65 years
old and above, can take advantage of this flight incentive. Airfares to
North
American and European countries have been slashed by 50 percent by
several
airlines.
The
state has also offered big
discounts to retiree retirees in terms of their tax payments, utility
bills and
even on entertainment. By entertainment, it would probably include
watching a
game of football, which so happens to be the favorite sport in Ecuador.
You
could also use it clubbing or watching movies.
Another
benefit of retiring to
Ecuador is the weather. It suits the pensioner crowd that a large area
of the
98,985 sq mi country enjoys tropical weather, with a few months
allocated for
rain. This is a welcome respite, especially for those who have lived or
worked
in countries where the climate is cold or snowing almost the whole year
round.
There
are several wonderful several
beaches lined up along its coastline, just right for those leisure
walks. You
could also watch as the local and foreign surfers ride the waves or
wait as the
next member of a paragliding club cross the azure sky.
Ecuador
is slowly waking up from its
long economic slumber and has been issuing invitations, particularly to
foreign
pensioners, to come to their country not only for a short visit but to
consider
living there permanently. There is much more to discover about this
beautiful
place, find out more about the best places to retire
- http://www-bestplacestoretire.com/
Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Hofstetler
http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-is-Ecuador-One-of-the-Best-Places-to-Retire-in-the-World?-Affordable-Retirement-Living-For-One&id=1507076
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Biodiversity in Ecuador
Biodiversity
in Ecuador
By Martijn Van Vreeden
Ecuador
is a
rich country when it comes to biodiversity. Even though Ecuador is only
the
size of the state of Nevada, its biodiversity exceeds the one from the
United
States in total. According to the World Resource Institute Ecuador is
one of
the few countries on earth categorized as
“megadiverse,” owing to the variety
of its ecosystems and species.
Within
three
hours, you can drive in Ecuador from arctic tundra to sweltering
beaches, from
a temperate pine forest to a tropical wet forest, from a desert
landscape to
wetlands filled with mangroves. Ecuador is also the most ethnically
diversified
country in Latin America, a home to large Arab, Asian, Caucasian,
African, and
Jewish populations. In the Native Indian population, one can find
tribes living
in very primitive conditions, from those who were recently head
shrinkers to
the most entrepreneurial otavalenos, known around the globe for the
quality of
their textiles.
According
to
the Natura Foundation, an environmental non governmental organization
(NGO),
approximately 50 percent of Ecuador is suffering from various degrees
of soil
erosion, and deforestation is 45 percent in the lowlands, 48 percent in
the
highlands, and 8 percent in the Amazon basin. Thousands of acres of
forest
disappear daily, despite laws that prohibit the cutting down of trees
and the
exportation of wood. It has been calculated that deforestation amounts
to
680,000 acres per year (approximately 2,000 per day), and in less that
forty
years not a single forest will remain.
We
can
certainly say that biodiversity in Ecuador is decreasing rapidly.
Several
aspects of the society are to blame. Mainly the lack of enforcement of
laws and
the corruption by the government seem to have a great affect on the
preservation of the countries most valuable treasure. The lack of
insight in
small communities who own large parts of natural habitat of animals is
also a
threat. Preservation of the biological diversity can be achieved by
educating
these communities and stimulating ecotourism, or sustainable
development.
Martijn
van
Vreeden has been working and living in Ecuador for several years using
his
background as a project director to work on sustainable development
programs
around Ecuador. Martijn is currently working as the project director of
Moving Ecuador
to preserve the cultural diversity
of Ecuador and proote responsbile travel in Ecuador.
Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martijn_Van_Vreeden
http://EzineArticles.com/?Biodiversity-in-Ecuador&id=129263

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