# El Oro Province, Ecuador – Cantons, Population & Map

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/

Province · Ecuador 

# El Oro Province

El Oro Province is a province of Ecuador. It had an estimated **715,751 people** in 2020 on 5,878 km² (about 122 per km²). Its main town is Machala. It is divided into 14 cantons. 940 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 1,713 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 715,751people (2020)
- 5,878km²
- 14cantons
- 1,713mapped services

## How many people live in El Oro Province?

El Oro Province had an estimated **715,751 people** in 2020 — 4.1% of Ecuador, 6th of 24 provinces. There are 979 women for every 1,000 men (below the Ecuador figure of 1,021). Spread over 5,878 km², that is about **122 people per km²**, 5th of 24 provinces.

27.1% of people are children under 15 and 7.5% are 65 or older; the median age is about 28 years (it is 27 across Ecuador). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 53 children and older people.

0–4 ****12,464**

1–5 ****49,980**

5–9 ****64,564**

10–14 ****66,818**

15–19 ****65,473**

20–24 ****61,373**

25–29 ****57,022**

30–34 ****53,742**

35–39 ****50,605**

40–44 ****46,160**

45–49 ****41,081**

50–54 ****36,181**

55–59 ****31,062**

60–64 ****25,374**

65–69 ****19,633**

70–74 ****14,384**

75–79 ****9,727**

80+ ****10,108**

Source: [UNFPA and INEC - Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos via OCHA HDX, population 2020 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-ecu).

## Where is El Oro Province?

El Oro Province lies in [Ecuador](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/). It borders 3 other provinces: [Azuay Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/azuay/), [Guayas Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/guayas/) and [Loja Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/loja/). By area it is the 17th largest of 24 provinces in Ecuador. It covers 2.3% of [Ecuador](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/). The centre of El Oro Province is about 389 km in a straight line from Quito, the capital. The centre point is at 3.4686° S, 79.8421° W.

Source: [INEC - Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-ecu).

## Things to see in and around El Oro Province

OpenStreetMap lists 134 named sights in El Oro Province: 73 attractions; 16 monuments; 12 memorials; 11 viewpoints; 7 museums; 6 nature reserves; 5 waterfalls; 2 beachs; 1 castle or fort; 1 theme park.

- Antiguo Hospital Americano · museum
- Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana · museum
- Degat · museum
- Magner Turner · museum
- Museo Bosque Puyango · museum
- Museo Municipal · museum
- The Magnet Turner · museum
- Marquitos Cabrera · castle or fort
- Casacda 3 - Rio Pindo · waterfall
- Cascada 1- Rio Pindo · waterfall
- Cascada 4-Rio Pindo · waterfall
- Cascada Salati · waterfall
- Pailones del Río Tobar · waterfall
- Bosque Petrificado Puyango · nature reserve
- Bosque Protector Río Arenillas Presa Tahuín · nature reserve
- Bp016 (B. P. Casacay) · nature reserve
- Bp116 (B. P. Moro Moro) · nature reserve
- Reserva Ecológica Arenillas · nature reserve
- Reserva Jocotoco - Buenaventura · nature reserve
- Ingreso a Playa San Gregorio · beach
- PLAYITA DE PUERTO BOLIVAR · beach
- Arenillas City · viewpoint
- Cascadas de Manuel · viewpoint
- Cerro de Cristo - La Cruz · viewpoint
- Chorro Viringo · viewpoint
- LAS TRES CRUCES · viewpoint
- Mirador 1 · viewpoint
- Mirador 2 · viewpoint
- Mirador El Panecillo de Chilla · viewpoint
- Mirador del Cerro San José · viewpoint

…and 104 more.

Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: El Oro Province

- Time zoneUTC−5, no daylight saving · America/Guayaquil
- CurrencyDollar (USD)
- Country calling code+593
- LanguagesSpanish
- Plug typesType A, B · 120 V
- Driving sideRight
- Postcode format6 digits (######)

### Nearest airports

- Santa Rosa - Artillery Colonel Victor Larrea International Airport (ETR) · Santa Rosa17 km
- Captain Pedro Canga Rodríguez International Airport (TBP) · Tumbes61 km

### Daylight

Days are longest in Dec (about 12.3 hours, sunrise around 06:04) and shortest in Jun (about 11.9 hours, sunrise around 06:21, sunset around 18:17).

Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight 

Jan 06:19 18:36 12.3 h 

Feb 06:26 18:40 12.2 h 

Mar 06:25 18:32 12.1 h 

Apr 06:18 18:20 12.0 h 

May 06:16 18:14 12.0 h 

Jun 06:21 18:17 11.9 h 

Jul 06:27 18:23 11.9 h 

Aug 06:24 18:24 12.0 h 

Sep 06:12 18:17 12.1 h 

Oct 05:59 18:10 12.2 h 

Nov 05:56 18:12 12.3 h 

Dec 06:04 18:24 12.3 h 

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-02](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling.

## Cantons of El Oro Province

Canton Area km² Parishes Services 

[Arenillas Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/arenillas/) 789 5 161 

[Atahualpa Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/atahualpa/) 282 6 8 

[Balsas Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/balsas/) 69 2 11 

[Chilla Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/chilla/) 332 1 7 

[El Guabo Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/el-guabo/) 581 5 55 

[Huaquillas Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/huaquillas/) 99 1 197 

[Las Lajas Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/las-lajas/) 299 4 7 

[Machala Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/machala/) 373 2 749 

[Marcabelí Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/marcabeli/) 149 2 6 

[Pasaje Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/pasaje/) 457 7 173 

[Piñas Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/pinas/) 615 7 70 

[Portovelo Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/portovelo/) 284 4 40 

[Santa Rosa Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/santa-rosa/) 897 8 179 

[Zaruma Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/el-oro/zaruma/) 653 10 50 

Source: [INEC - Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-ecu); [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

## Largest towns in El Oro Province

- Machala289,141
- Pasaje44,860
- Santa Rosa41,816
- Huaquillas39,757
- Guabo26,635
- Arenillas26,000
- Piñas16,981
- Zaruma12,505
- Portovelo9,708
- Puerto Bolívar8,300
- Balsas7,875
- Marcabelí5,450

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Populations as recorded in GeoNames, which may be older than the estimates above.

## Landscape and landmarks of El Oro Province

Named natural and historic features inside El Oro Province, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

91 rivers and streams; 4 lakes.

- Dos Quebradas
- Estero Canoas
- Estero Cruce de Sacamano
- Estero Guaita
- Estero Guajabal
- Estero Guar
- Estero Guarumal
- Estero Jumón
- Estero La Tortuga
- Estero Machala
- Estero Medina
- Estero Pomarosa
- Estero Quiriquinchal
- Estero Sacamano
- Estero Sucuyacu
- Estero de Dumas
- Estero de Pitahaya
- Higuerón Quebrada
- Poza de Caimitos
- Poza de Dumas
- Poza de Tono
- Poza del Bermejo
- Quebrada Alumbre
- Quebrada Canoas

…and 71 more.

### Coast and islands

13 islands; 2 headlands.

- Isla Bartola
- Isla Callejones
- Isla Gato
- Isla Jambelí
- Isla Patria
- Isla Payana
- Isla Pollos
- Isla Puercos
- Isla Robato
- Isla San Antonio
- Isla Tembleque
- Isla Vacas
- Isla de Pongal
- Punta Jambelí
- Punta Payana

### Hills and mountains

29 mountains; 8 hills; 1 valley.

- Clavelillo · 3,549 m
- Tamboloma · 3,137 m
- Mesaloma · 3,122 m
- Palmas · 2,985 m
- El Burro · 2,918 m
- El Nudillo · 2,726 m
- Yanacaca · 2,296 m
- Trencilla · 2,187 m
- Cerro Chillacocha · 2,080 m
- Cerro El Quinde · 1,893 m
- Loma Gushagüiña · 1,867 m
- Cerro Corredores · 1,699 m
- Loma Castillo · 1,646 m
- Ashigllo · 1,624 m
- Escalera · 1,591 m
- Loma Ramos · 1,591 m
- Los Bosques · 1,516 m
- Loma Bonita · 1,366 m
- Loma Larga · 1,199 m
- Loma Cedro · 1,154 m
- El Tablón · 931 m
- Valle Carabota · 816 m
- Cerro Negro · 802 m
- Cerro del Oso · 694 m

…and 14 more.

### Estates

2 estates.

- Hacienda Clementina
- Hacienda El Checo

### Getting around

6 airfields; 2 airports; 2 ports.

- Amable Calle Gutierrez
- Banasur
- Celia Maria
- General Manuel Serrano Airport
- La Mina
- Puerto Bolivar
- Puerto del Horno
- Samuelo Quimi
- Santa Rosa
- Santa Rosa Regional Airport

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in El Oro Province and the best time to visit

In El Oro Province, the warmest month is May (average 24 °C) and the coolest is Nov (23 °C). About 501 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Mar (130 mm) and the driest Aug (8 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **April to February**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 24 64 

Feb 24 110 

Mar 24 130 

Apr 24 61 

May 24 28 

Jun 24 15 

Jul 24 11 

Aug 24 8 

Sep 24 8 

Oct 24 17 

Nov 23 20 

Dec 24 29 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Hospitals, banks and other services in El Oro Province

Places mapped inside El Oro Province in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations.

- Hospitals112
- Banks75
- ATMs11
- Petrol pumps46
- Hotels182
- Shopping malls23
- Schools265
- Colleges and universities34
- Cinemas3
- Pharmacies186
- Restaurants601
- Police stations39
- Dental clinics136

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Quick answers

- Where is El Oro Province?In Ecuador
- What is the population of El Oro Province?715,751 (2020 estimate)
- What is the median age in El Oro Province?About 28 years (2020 estimate)
- What is the population density of El Oro Province?About 122 people per km²
- What borders El Oro Province?Azuay Province, Guayas Province and Loja Province
- What is there to see in El Oro Province?Aguas Calientes, Aguas termales, Antiguo Hospital Americano, Arenillas City
- What time zone is El Oro Province in?UTC−5
- What currency is used in El Oro Province?Dollar (USD)
- What language is spoken in El Oro Province?Spanish (main languages nationally)
- What is the largest town in El Oro Province?Machala
- What is the highest point in El Oro Province?Clavelillo (3,549 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit El Oro Province?April to February
- How many hospitals are in El Oro Province?112 mapped
- How many banks are in El Oro Province?75 mapped
- How many ATMs are in El Oro Province?11 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in El Oro Province?46 mapped
- What is the P-code of El Oro Province?EC07 (OCHA common operational dataset)