Ecuador has one of the greatest bio diversity per square mile than any other country in the world.  Although the country is classified into four regions by the people themselves, inside each there are many distinct ecological systems.  Some of these are: the desert of the Peninsula of Santa Elena, the savannas of the basin of Guayas, the Mangroves of the coast, the humid tropical jungle of the Northwest, the sub-Andean and Andean forests (subtropical and cold), the temperate inter-Andean valleys, the Andean páramos (Ecuador's equivalent of the Arctic tundra) and the alpine Andean peaks. The climates range from arctic to tropical, setting the stage for a wide variety of plant and animal life. 

Ecuadorian flora is some of the richest and most diverse on the planet due to the country’s location on the Equator and varying altitudes.  There are around 22,000 different plant species in Ecuador, making it a botanist’s paradise.  Day length here on the equator differs little throughout the year.  However, the climate is much more complicated than would be expected.  The country is influenced equally by the seasons of Southern and Northern Hemispheres, as well as prevailing winds, the Andes and the Pacific Ocean currents.

The presence of the Andes has given Ecuador a very eclectic face.  A mountainous spine stretching from Venezuela in the north,  to the end of the continent in the south in Chile and Argentina, it’s not only the small country’s most dominate feature, but also South America’s, along with the vast Amazon Basin.  However, it is the Andes that makes the Amazon jungle’s existence possible, providing the source for the Amazon River (in Peru) and its many tributaries throughout Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It is the Andes that make Ecuador’s unique climates possible.  From sea level to the Andean crests, there are numerous microclimates at distinct altitudes giving shelter to varying types of life.  Because of this, despite being on the equatorial line, Ecuador is not simply hot and tropical, but a country in which you can find almost any climate that exists anywhere on the planet.  However, due to the varying altitudes and the country’s position at the vortex of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, there are two definite seasons, differing between regions; Summer is the dry season and winter the wet season.