Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador

Please note: Locations of towns and cities are approximate.

Located in northwestern Ecuador, bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean, to the north by Colombia, to the east by Carchi and Imbabura Provinces, and to the south by Pichincha and Manabi Provinces, Esmeraldas Province is host to many Saturniidae species.

The northernmost of the coastal provinces, Esmeraldas is also the lushest, and it is riddled with estuaries, mangroves, and flooded tropical forest. Its wild and remote inland areas, accessible only by canoe, make Esmeraldas difficult to explore.

There are probably many Saturniidae species yet to be reported there.

Automeris zugana courtesy of Leroy Simon.

The name Ecuador is Spanish for equator, and the country straddles the geographic equator, from about 1°30'N to 5°S latitude; mainland Ecuador extends from about 75°20'W to 81°W longitude. Esmeraldas Province is just north of the Equator.

It is interesting that Esmeraldas got its name when the "Spanish landed on the Pacific coast in 1526. The conquistadors were astounded to find Indians bedecked in emeralds awaiting them on shore. Convinced that the region was abundant in the brilliant gems, they named it Esmeraldas." http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/html/esmeraldas_province.html

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