Guayas Province - Ecuador

Guayas, officially Province of Guayas, is one of the 24 provinces that make up the Republic of Ecuador, located in the coastal region of the country, southwest of it. Its capital is the city of Guayaquil. It is the largest commercial and industrial center of Ecuador. With its 3.8 million inhabitants, Guayas is the most populated province in the country and contains 24.5% of the population of the Republic. The province takes its name from the largest and most important river in its territory, the Guayas River. With its 2.5 million inhabitants (more than 68% of the provincial population), the city of Guayaquil is not only the largest city in the province, but also the largest city in Ecuador.

The current territories of the Guayas were dominated in the pre-Columbian era, by the Huancavilcas and several other tribes. With the arrival of the Spaniards and their conquest it was sought to found in these territories a city that serves as a port, although the resistance of the natives was presented on several occasions, preventing the conquest of these territories. Several times they tried the colonization, until in 1538 the city of Guayaquil was founded. The current territory of Guayas was included in the old Guayaquil subdivision, and later in the colonial government of Guayaquil. After the wars of independence against Spain, the republic of Guayaquil was formed, which would later join the Gran Colombia, now called the Department of Guayaquil. After the separation of the Gran Colombia and the formation of the Republic of Ecuador, the region was divided into the current provinces of Manabí, Los Ríos, El Oro, Galápagos and Guayas. Recently, in 2007, the province of Santa Elena was separated from this territory.

Guayas is divided politically into 25 cantons, from which 50 urban parishes and 29 rural parishes are derived.1 The main activities of the province are industry, since it is the port and the largest factories in Guayaquil, the agricultural sector in rural life; and, tourism, mainly for its famous beaches and festivities montubias.

According to the latest territorial order, the province of Guayas will belong to a region also comprised by the provinces of Bolívar, Los Ríos, Santa Elena and Galápagos. The conformation of the new administrative entities of Ecuador are still in diplomatic process, not yet unified, and the term of 8 years from the constituent of 2008, is in process of extension.