Machala () is a city in south-west

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

. It is the capital of the El Oro Province, and is located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on

fertile Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertili ...

lowlands. Machala has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 241,606 (2010 census); it is the eighth-biggest city in the country, and the second-most important port. It has been referred to as the ''Banana Capital of the World''.

Economy

Machala is a commercial center for the surrounding

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

industries. There is a large trade in

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", disting ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

and

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...

. The banana industry is especially oriented for exportation, and plays a huge role in the city's economy. Bananas are shipped out from nearby

Puerto Bolívar Puerto Bolívar is an urban parish and port city, part of the municipality of Machala, El Oro Province, Ecuador. Puerto Bolívar is one of the world's largest shipment points for bananas, most of them destined for Europe; about 80% of Ecuador's ...

mainly to North America. Machala's geographical position near

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

also makes it an important transportation center. Many travelers heading south to Peru or north to Guayaquil funnel through the city. It is not known as a tourist destination among Ecuadorians or international tourists, though its proximity to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

positions it close to beaches. Machala has a growing economy that was marked in 2007 by the inauguration of its first mall, with a movie theater, on the outskirts of the city.

Orientation

The center of Machala is dominated by a large Catholic church and a central plaza. The plaza was built in the early 2000s to include a large fountain. There are many hotels situated in the center of the city. Las Brisas, located nearly a mile from the central plaza, is another popular place in Machala; it is a wealthier neighborhood which used to serve as a popular hangout for local teenagers. But the remodeling of La Zona Rosa, as well as the decreased safety of the area, have led to its becoming less popular.

Education

Machala has one university, the Universidad Técnica de Machala. There are many private schools in Machala and one public high school – Colegio 9 de Octubre. The city serves as a stopping-off point on the way to nearby

and the Jambelí Islands, which can only be reached by ferry.

Climate

Machala features a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...

( Köppen ''BSh''). Like most of the coastal region of Ecuador, there is a short

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

from January to April due to the retreat of the

Humboldt Current The Humboldt Current, also called the Peru Current, is a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north along the western coast of South America.Montecino, Vivian, and Carina B. Lange. "The Humboldt Current System: Ecosystem components and pro ...

. The weather in both wet and

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The ...

s is very warm to hot and cloudy due to persistent fog from the cold current.

Transportation

Air

Santa Rosa International Airport serves as the city's principal airport. It hosts commercial flights to

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley on ...

with the Ecuadorian airline

TAME Tame may refer to: *Taming, the act of training wild animals *River Tame, Greater Manchester *River Tame, West Midlands and the Tame Valley *Tame, Arauca, a Colombian town and municipality * "Tame" (song), a song by the Pixies from their 1989 alb ...

Notable residents

Gabriel Achilier Gabriel Eduardo Achilier Zurita (; born March 24, 1985) is an Ecuadorian footballer who plays for Orense S.C. in the Liga PRO Ecuador as a centre-back. Club career Born in Machala, Achilier began his professional career in Liga Deportiva Uni ...

(born 1985), footballer *

Jordy Caicedo Jordy Josué Caicedo Medina (born 18 November 1997) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Turkish club Sivasspor, on loan from Tigres UANL. Club career As a child, Caicedo played football "in rich boy" neighborho ...

(born 1997), footballer *

Gilberto Chamba Gilberto Antonio Chamba Jaramillo (born 1963) is an Ecuadorian serial killer, convicted of murdering nine people in Ecuador and Spain. Known as The Monster of Machala, he was convicted of several murders in south-west Ecuador, but was released u ...

, serial killer * Fausto Tutu Guzman (born 1944), great Basketball player and Pajero Professional * Nicolás Asencio (born 1975), footballer * Juan Carlos Espinoza Mercado (born 1987), footballer *

Ángel Fernández Ángel Oswaldo Fernández Vernaza (born 2 August 1971) is an Ecuadorian footballer. He played 77 games for the Ecuador national team between 1991 and 2004. Club career He played his entire club career in Ecuador. His main clubs were Emelec a ...

(born 1971), footballer * Luis Miguel Garcés (born 1982), footballer * Hólger Matamoros (born 1985), footballer * Carlos Muñoz (1964–1993), footballer * Ismael Pérez Pazmiño (1876–1944), journalist and politician * Ángel Pután (born 1986), footballer *

Tania Tinoco Tania Tinoco (August 2, 1963 – May 21, 2022) was an Ecuadorian journalist, author, television producer, director, TV and radio presenter, reporter, interviewer, and opinion leader. For more than 30 years she has been known as the host of the ...

(born 1963), journalist and television producer

References

External links

*
Orenses - El Oro - Machala - Ecuador / Comunidad Virtual de la Provincia de El Oro
News about Machala in Spanish
Chat Orenses - El Oro - Machala - Ecuador
Chat Orenses - El Oro - Machala - Ecuador
Investor info for Ecuador and MachalaUniversidad Technica de MachalaSitio informativo de la Capital Bananera del Mundo

{{Authority control Populated places in El Oro Province Populated coastal places in Ecuador Port cities in Ecuador Provincial capitals in Ecuador 1573 establishments in the Spanish Empire