Capital

Finnland

name: Helsinki

geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: the name may derive from the Swedish helsing, an archaic name for "neck" (hals), and which may refer to a narrowing of the Vantaa River that flows into the Gulf of Finland at Helsinki; fors refers to "rapids," so helsing fors meaning becomes "the narrows' rapids"

Ecuador

name: Quito

geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

time zone note: Ecuador has two time zones, including the Galapagos Islands (UTC-6)

etymology: named after the Quitu, a Pre-Columbian indigenous people credited with founding the city; the name is also a combination of two Tsafiki words: quitso (meaning "center" or "half") + to or tu ("the world"); the combination roughly translates as "center of the world" and reflects the fact that native peoples recognized that at the two annual equinoxes, the overhead sun in that area (only about 20 km (12 mi) north of the equator) did not display any shade and thus must be in the middle of the world

Citizenship

Finnland

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Finland

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 6 years

Ecuador

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent only: yes

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years

Legal system

Finnland

civil law system based on the Swedish model

Ecuador

civil law based on the Chilean civil code with modifications; traditional law in indigenous communities

Suffrage

Finnland

18 years of age; universal

Ecuador

18-65 years of age; universal and compulsory; 16-18, over 65, and other eligible voters, voluntary

Area

Finnland

total: 338,145 sq km

land: 303,815 sq km

water: 34,330 sq km

Ecuador

total: 283,561 sq km

land: 276,841 sq km

water: 6,720 sq km

note: includes Galapagos Islands

Land use

Finnland

agricultural land: 7.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 7.4% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 72.9% (2018 est.)

other: 19.6% (2018 est.)

Ecuador

agricultural land: 29.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 4.7% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 5.6% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 19.4% (2018 est.)

forest: 38.9% (2018 est.)

other: 31.4% (2018 est.)

Location

Finnland

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Ecuador

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru

Age structure

Finnland

0-14 years: 16.25% (male 466,311/female 446,015)

15-64 years: 60.5% (male 1,726,110/female 1,670,981)

65 years and over: 23.25% (2023 est.) (male 575,259/female 729,895)

Ecuador

0-14 years: 24.49% (male 2,183,293/female 2,098,856)

15-64 years: 66.44% (male 5,739,156/female 5,876,090)

65 years and over: 9.07% (2023 est.) (male 745,170/female 840,761)

Birth rate

Finnland

10.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Ecuador

18 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Finnland

10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Ecuador

7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Finnland

Finnish (official) 86.5%, Swedish (official) 5.2%, Russian 1.6%, other 6.7% (2021 est.)

major-language sample(s):
World Factbook, korvaamaton perustietolähde. (Finnish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Ecuador

Spanish (Castilian) 93% (official), Quechua 4.1%, other indigenous 0.7%, foreign 2.2%; note - (Quechua and Shuar are official languages of intercultural relations; other indigenous languages are in official use by indigenous peoples in the areas they inhabit) (2010 est.)

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

Finnland

total population: 82 years (2023 est.)

male: 79.1 years

female: 85 years

Ecuador

total population: 74.9 years (2023 est.)

male: 69.7 years

female: 80.4 years

Major urban areas - population

Finnland

1.338 million HELSINKI (capital) (2023)

Ecuador

3.142 million Guayaquil, 1.957 million QUITO (capital) (2023)

Median age

Finnland

total: 43.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 41.7 years

female: 44.8 years

Ecuador

total: 27.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 26.8 years

female: 28.7 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Finnland

29.5 years (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

Finnland

2.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Ecuador

-1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Finnland

the vast majority of people are found in the south; the northern interior areas remain sparsely populated

Ecuador

nearly half of the population is concentrated in the interior in the Andean intermontane basins and valleys, with large concentrations also found along the western coastal strip; the rainforests of the east remain sparsely populated

Population growth rate

Finnland

0.22% (2023 est.)

Ecuador

0.99% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Finnland

1.74 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Ecuador

2.24 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Finnland

urban population: 85.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.42% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Ecuador

urban population: 64.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Finnland

5.9% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ecuador

3.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Finnland

total: 19 years

male: 18 years

female: 20 years (2020)

Ecuador

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Finnland

-0.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Ecuador

-4.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Finnland

2.77% (2021 est.)

Ecuador

0.49% (2021 est.)

note: excludes oil refining

Labor force

Finnland

2.82 million (2021 est.)

Ecuador

8.528 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Finnland

12.2% (2019 est.)

Ecuador

25% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Finnland

7.53% (2021 est.)

7.76% (2020 est.)

6.69% (2019 est.)

Ecuador

6.43% (2021 est.)

6.11% (2020 est.)

3.81% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Finnland

61.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

62.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

Ecuador

45.4% of GDP (2017 est.)

43.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Finnland

2.19% (2021 est.)

0.29% (2020 est.)

1.02% (2019 est.)

Ecuador

0.13% (2021 est.)

-0.34% (2020 est.)

0.27% (2019 est.)

Exports

Finnland

$116.905 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$97.789 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$107.084 billion (2019 est.)

Ecuador

$29.325 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$22.401 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$26.12 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - partners

Finnland

Germany 13%, Sweden 9%, United States 8%, Netherlands 6%, China 6% (2021)

Ecuador

United States 30%, China 13%, Panama 8%, Chile 7% (2019)

Imports

Finnland

$116.277 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$97.037 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$106.664 billion (2019 est.)

Ecuador

$28.567 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$19.877 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$25.89 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - partners

Finnland

Germany 16%, Sweden 15%, Russia 11%, China 7%, Netherlands 7% (2021)

Ecuador

United States 22%, China 18%, Colombia 9%, Panama 5% (2019)

Airports

Finnland

148 (2021)

Ecuador

432 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Finnland

total: 1.846 million (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2020 est.)

Ecuador

total: 2,371,297 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Finnland

total: 5.115 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 93% (2021 est.)

Ecuador

total: 13.68 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 76% (2021 est.)

according to 2021 statistics from Ecuador's Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society, 50% of homes do not have access to fixed internet

Railways

Finnland

total: 5,918 km (2020) 3,349 km electrified

Ecuador

total: 965 km (2022)

narrow gauge: 965 km (2022) 1.067-m gauge

note: passenger service limited to certain sections of track, mostly for tourist trains

Roadways

Finnland

total: 454,000 km (2012)

highways: 78,000 km (2012) (50,000 paved, including 700 km of expressways; 28,000 unpaved)

private and forest roads: 350,000 km (2012)

urban: 26,000 km (2012)

Ecuador

total: 43,950 km (2022)

paved: 8,895 km (2022)

unpaved: 35,055 km (2022)

Telephones - fixed lines

Finnland

total subscriptions: 207,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2021 est.)

Ecuador

total subscriptions: 1,846,666 (2021)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Finnland

total subscriptions: 7.15 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 129 (2021 est.)

Ecuador

total subscriptions: 16,789,600 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 94 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Finnland

8,000 km (2013) (includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia; water transport used frequently in the summer and widely replaced with sledges on the ice in winter; there are 187,888 lakes in Finland that cover 31,500 km); Finland also maintains 8,200 km of coastal fairways

Ecuador

1,500 km (2012) (most inaccessible)

Disputes - international

Finnland

various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the former Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands

Ecuador

organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border