Lebanese Ecuadorians
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Lebanese Ecuadorians are
Ecuadorian Ecuadorians () are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...
s who are descended from migrants from
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
or Lebanese who migrated to Ecuador and became Ecuadorian citizens. There are approximately up to 250,000 Lebanese people and their descendants living in
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
.


Migration history

The first Levantine immigrants to Ecuador arrived around 1850 and larger numbers reached there in the 1880s and 1890s, nearly all of them Christians. Since 1875, there has been a constant flow of Lebanese immigrants to Ecuador, first fleeing the Ottoman Empire, and then the aftermath of World War I and II. By 1986, there were 97,500 Lebanese immigrants in Ecuador. Early impoverished migrants tended to work as independent sidewalk vendors, but overtime created a prominent presence within Ecuadorian society. The majority of Lebanese who migrated to Ecuador have become some of the country’s most well known business leaders and other known public figures. During Ecuador’s cocoa (chocolate) export boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, “Lebanese” began to immigrate to Guayaquil and quickly became merchants and traders. Some of the most successful business families in Ecuador are of “Lebanese” descent. They have made a lasting impact on Ecuadorian society in many aspects. Though they emigrated to escape Ottoman Turkish oppression, they were called "Turks" by Ecuadorians because they carried Ottoman passports.


Demography

The number of Lebanese descendants in Ecuador is not too clear and varies. A 1982 estimate from Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated 20,000, while another private estimate from 1986 put it as high as 97,500. As of recent years, the growing community has undoubtedly exceeded these numbers with private estimates putting it as high as 250,000. They mainly reside mostly in
Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...
and
Guayaquil Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital (political), capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is ...
as well as Manta. They are predominantly of the Christian and
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
faith although, over the years the Muslim community has also developed.


Notable people

People of Lebanese background are very well represented in business and politics of the country. Some of them have reached the presidency and vice-presidency of Ecuador. Their prominence in politics provoked some backlash, with one politician warning of the "Bedouinization" of Ecuador. *
Julio Teodoro Salem Julio Teodoro Salem Gallegos (26 September 1900 – 3 September 1968)"Síntesis histórica de la República del Ecuador: legislación y principales hechos" Trabucco, Federico E., 1968, pg. 692 was an Ecuadorian politician of Lebanese backg ...
was President for a short interim period in May 1944 before election of
José María Velasco Ibarra José María Velasco Ibarra (19 March 1893 – 30 March 1979) was an Ecuadorian politician. He became president of Ecuador five times, in 1934–1935, 1944–1947, 1952–1956, 1960–1961, and 1968–1972, and only in 1952–1956 he complete ...
. *
Abdalá Bucaram Abdalá Jaime Bucaram Ortiz ( ; ; born 4 February 1952) is an Ecuadorian politician and lawyer who was the 38th president of Ecuador from 1996 until his removal from office in 1997. As president, Bucaram was nicknamed "El Loco Que Ama" ("The Madm ...
was elected President from August 10, 1996 to February 6, 1997. However he was highly unpopular and Parliament dismissed him because of "mental disability". He was accused also of embezzlement of public funds and replaced by
Rosalía Arteaga Rosalía Arteaga Serrano (born 5 December 1956) is an Ecuadorian politician who served as the 39th president of Ecuador for two days in 1997 from 9 to 11 February. She previously served as the 40th vice president under President Abdalá Bucaram ...
. *Yet a third President of the Republic was
Jamil Mahuad Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt (born 29 July 1949) is an Ecuadorian lawyer, academic and former politician who served the 41st president of Ecuador from 1998 until he was deposed in a coup in 2000. He previously served as the 17th mayor of Quito from ...
. He served from August 10, 1998 to January 21, 2000 when he was forced to resign after a week of demonstrations by indigenous Ecuadorians and a military revolt led by Lucio Gutiérrez. *
Alberto Dahik Alberto Dahik Garzozi (born 27 August 1953) is an Ecuadorian politician of Lebanon, Lebanese ancestry. He was Vice President of Ecuador from 10 August 1992 to 11 October 1995 during the Sixto Durán Ballén administration. In 1995, he was forc ...
, a Finance Minister and member of the Ecuadoran. He was a running mate of
Sixto Durán Ballén Sixto Alfonso Durán-Ballén Cordovez (14 July 1921 – 15 November 2016) was an Ecuadorian political figure and architect who served as the 37th president of Ecuador from 1992 to 1996. He previously served as Mayor of Quito between 1970 and 197 ...
and upon victory in the elections, served Vice Presidency to Sixto Durán Ballén for period 1992 to 1995. *
Jaime Nebot Jaime José Nebot Saadi (born October 22, 1946) is an Ecuadorian lawyer and politician. He formerly served as mayor of Guayaquil, which is Ecuador's largest city. He is affiliated with the Christian Social Party (PSC) and the . Nebot ran twice f ...
, was Mayor of
Guayaquil Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital (political), capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is ...
from August 10, 2000 to May 14, 2019. *
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Deborah Mucarsel-Powell ( ; born January 18, 1971) is an American politician and academic administrator who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party (Unit ...
, born in Ecuador, is an American politician.


Notes


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ecuadorian Of Lebanese Origin Ethnic groups in Ecuador Lebanese diaspora in South America
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...