CLIMATE
Climatic conditions generally reflect the country's equatorial latitude and local vertical altitudes. There are almost no seasonal variations in temperature. The average temperatures of the hottest and coolest months at Quito are 54.9 F and 54.5 F, and at Guayaquil (sea level) 81F and 76F. Seasonal differences are rflected mainly in variations in rainfall. There is no dry season in the extrem north, where maximum rainfall occurs twice March-April and September-November.
The vertical zones are similar to those of other Andean countries. The tierra caliente (hot zone) extends to an upper limit of 3,300 feet. Most of this zone is in the coastal and eastern lowlands. The tierra templada (temperate zone), rangin from 3,300 to 6,500 feet , extends over some intermont basins, valleys, and slopes of the Andes. The tierra fria (cool zone), from 6,500 to 10,000 feet, is a climatic zone of most of the basins and densely inhabited valleys of the mountain region, including the capital Quito and other important urban centers of Cuenca and Riobamba.
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