The countries lie entirely within txie Tropics and the cliinate is 
tropical but is profoxmdly modified bv tiie great altitudes of the uoim- 
tains • The coastal plain is well watered in northern Ecuador hut is one 
of the driest asserts in tne world in iBru. T'he .iilastern slope is moist and 
in many places is covered with tropical rain forests In tm mountain region 
the rains are distributed unevenly and there is usually a well marked rainy 
and dry season* i^'urther a^tails vail be considered under each country 
.L^cuador* 
The coastal plain is a rich agricultural country with a high rainfall 
in the nortnern part which is similar to the Ooloiiibian plain to the north* 
The rainfall decreases toward the south, especially in the vicinity ox the 
coast. Around oaliiias, at the. point of land west of Guayaquil, arid 
conditions prevail, though further inland the rainfall is sufficient for 
crops. Toward the Peruvian border the aridity increases rapidly and soon 
desert conditions prevail as indicated below under Peiii* 
Tne Cordillera consists of two main chains with several cross ridges 
and valleys between. lOulcan, Ibarra, .^ito, imbato, jiiobamba, Cuenca, 
and Loja, the important cities of the ::.ountains, are all in valleys or 
depressions and the connecting roads pass over ridges. The valleys are from 
7000 to 10000 feet altitude, while the eastern anu western main chains 
rise to several tixousand feet higher. xae Cordillera above tree line 
is usually called the Sierra. Several peaks rise to such heights that 
txie^y are pemanently snowcapped. Of these .Chimboraao and Cotopaxi are the 
