Guayas is the most populated province in Ecuador.
It was named for the Guayas River, which flows through the province. Its capital is Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador and its main port. It is the fourth largest province in the country, with an area of 20,902 km².
Guayas is bounded on the northwest and west by Manabí, on the northeast and east by Los Ríos and Bolívar, on the south by El Oro, on the west and southwest by the Pacific Ocean or Gulf of Guayaquil, and on the east by Chimborazo, Cañar and Azuay.
Guayas' natural terrain is very diverse. The province has no elevations, except for the Coastal Range, which starts in Guayaquil and goes to Manabí. The areas west of the Coastal Range are desertic, with an average temperature of 23°C. The areas east of the range belong to the Guayas Watershed. They are quite humid and fertile, especially in the north of the province, with an average temperature of 30°C in the humid season (December–May) and 25°C in the dry season (June–November).
The most important river in the province is the Daule River, which flows from the north to join the Babahoyo River to form the Guayas river. The province is part of the largest river basin in South America west of the Andes Mountains.
The most important Pre-Hispanic cultures living in Guayas were the Valdivia, the Machalilla, and the Chorrera Cultures. Exactly before the European discovery of America, the Huancavilca Culture was living in the province. They are the ancestors of a large part of the population of the province.
Guayaquil was founded on August 14, 1534 (its foundation is celebrated on July 25). During the Spanish conquest, Guayaquil became one of the most important ports in South America. The city became free on October 9, 1820, and the Guayaquil Department (one of the original subdivisions of Ecuador) was founded soon afterwards. It consisted on the Manabí Province, and the Guayaquil Province, which was later renamed Guayas. The Guayaquil Province included territory of what now is Peruvian Tumbes, and today's Los Ríos and El Oro. The provinces were separated from Guayas in 1860 and 1884, respectively.
Guayas is the most populated province in the country. In the last decades, there has been a massive exit from rural areas to the main cities (especially Guayaquil). This has created a problem in Guayaquil, as most of the migrants invade municipal areas, creating shantytowns, with no services like water or electricity.
The province is divided into the following 25 cantons.
Canton (Capital)
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