Manabà Province
Manabí (Spanish Provincia de Manabí ) is a province in Ecuador. It has an area of 18,400 km ², more than 1.2 million inhabitants. The province is located in the coastal region of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Porto Viejo. Other major cities are the naval base Manta, Montecristi and Bahía de Caráquez.
Geography
The Manabí province located in the northwest of Ecuador on the Pacific coast. It is bordered on the north by the province of Esmeraldas, on the east by the provinces of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Los Ríos and Guayas, in the south also. Guayas province to province as well as the Santa Elena and to the west by the Pacific Ocean
Manabí has numerous beaches. Especially those who are particularly popular with local tourists to Manta, Bahia de Caraquez and between San Vicente and Canoa. In the south of the province of Puerto López is the Machalilla National Park, which covers 40,000 hectares of coastline and tropical forests. Next to it is there archaeological sites, especially the Manta culture from the 6th to the 16th century. But objects of older cultures, especially the Chorrera and Machalilla cultures ( 2nd and 1st millennium BC ) and the Salango culture ( 3rd millennium BC), found there.
Economy and infrastructure
The province of Manabi is all coastal provinces of Ecuador marked as agricultural. It is the most important coffee growing region of the country. In addition, cocoa, bananas, corn, rice, cotton and many tropical fruits (eg, melons, papayas, pineapple) are grown. In addition, livestock (cattle ) is operated. Is found on the coast fisheries, in the northern regions of the province and shrimp farms.
In Montecristi, Jipijapa and around the so-called Panama hat, sombrero de paja the toquilla is braided, which is exported around the world.
Manta is one of the most important national port cities and also base of the Ecuadorian Navy and was the site of a U.S. military base, the Manta Air Base, from which parts of Plan Colombia have been performed. The current President Rafael Correa, the U.S. Manta Air Base was closed and rezoned the Ecuadorian Air Force again.
History
The Manabí province was in pre-Columbian seat of the kingdom of the Manta and Cara. The Realm of the Manta was in the south ( around said of them Jocay Today Manta ) that the Cara in the north of the province (around Bahía de Caráquez ) and handed to the present province of Pichincha. The Manta, whose empire from about 500 AD. lasted until the Conquest ( 1535 ), were excellent sailors who arrived on large rafts to present-day Peru and Panama. Even references to trips to Mexico and Chile can be found.
Under Spanish colonial rule, the area is now the province of the Real Audiencia de Quito.
Declared in October 1820 and acquired by and by the cities of the present province of Manabí their independence and then became part of Greater Colombia. On August 2, 1822 Simón Bolívar founded the province of Porto Viejo Departamento de Sur (today's Ecuador) from Gran Colombia. However, this was ruled out of Guayaquil. With the law on the territorial division of Greater Colombia from June 25, 1824 actually was the province of Manabí, which consisted of the cantons Porto Viejo, Montecristi and Jipijapa. She was one like the Guayas Province Guayaquil to the department. The province remained with the independence of Ecuador.
1878 changed the two former parishes and today cantons Atacames and Muisne in the province of Esmeraldas.
Policy
The province is currently governed by the prefect Mariano Zambrano, who belongs to the Partido Social Cristiano (PSC). He shares his power with the mayors and the governor appointed by the President Vicente Véliz. The mayor and the Mayor of the two main cities, Porto Viejo and Manta, Patricia Briones and Jorge Zambrano also belong to the PSC.
Cantons
The Manabí province currently has 23 cantons. These are ( in order of establishment ):