# Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador – Cantons, Population & Map

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/esmeraldas/

Province · Ecuador 

# Esmeraldas Province

Esmeraldas Province is a province of Ecuador. It had an estimated **643,654 people** in 2020 on 15,857 km² (about 41 per km²). Its main town is Esmeraldas. It is divided into 7 cantons. 1,075 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 956 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 643,654people (2020)
- 15,857km²
- 7cantons
- 956mapped services

## How many people live in Esmeraldas Province?

Esmeraldas Province had an estimated **643,654 people** in 2020 — 3.7% of Ecuador, 7th of 24 provinces. There are 982 women for every 1,000 men (below the Ecuador figure of 1,021). Spread over 15,857 km², that is about **41 people per km²**, 17th of 24 provinces.

34.4% of people are children under 15 and 6.0% are 65 or older; the median age is about 23 years (it is 27 across Ecuador). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 68 children and older people.

0–4 ****14,386**

1–5 ****58,290**

5–9 ****74,575**

10–14 ****74,284**

15–19 ****67,070**

20–24 ****56,635**

25–29 ****47,742**

30–34 ****42,378**

35–39 ****38,648**

40–44 ****34,263**

45–49 ****29,703**

50–54 ****25,947**

55–59 ****22,515**

60–64 ****18,707**

65–69 ****14,519**

70–74 ****10,525**

75–79 ****7,013**

80+ ****6,454**

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 Esmeraldas Province?

Esmeraldas Province lies in [Ecuador](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/). It borders 5 other provinces: [Carchi Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/carchi/), [Imbabura Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/imbabura/), [Manabí Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/manabi/), [Pichincha Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/pichincha/) and [Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/santo-domingo-de-los-tsachilas/). By area it is the 7th largest of 24 provinces in Ecuador. It covers 6.2% of [Ecuador](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/). The centre of Esmeraldas Province is about 136 km in a straight line from Quito, the capital. The centre point is at 0.7150° N, 79.3037° 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 Esmeraldas Province

OpenStreetMap lists 37 named sights in Esmeraldas Province: 11 nature reserves; 7 attractions; 5 monuments; 3 memorials; 2 waterfalls; 2 archaeological sites; 2 viewpoints; 2 beachs; 1 museum; 1 national park; 1 zoo.

- Museo Regional de Arqueologia · museum
- Pampa de Oro · archaeological site
- Restos arqueológicos · archaeological site
- Cascade Canchalagua · waterfall
- El Salto · waterfall
- Reserva Marina Galera San Francisco · national park
- FCAT · nature reserve
- Isla Canchimalero · nature reserve
- Isla Santa Rosa · nature reserve
- Isla de La Tola · nature reserve
- Jevon Forest Biological Station · nature reserve
- Patrimonio de Maria Pai Caicedo · nature reserve
- Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Chiquita · nature reserve
- Reserva Ecológica Mache - Chindul · nature reserve
- Reserva Ecológica Manglares Cayapas - Mataje · nature reserve
- Reserva Jocotoco - Canandé · nature reserve
- Reserva Tesoro Escondido · nature reserve
- CLUB SAME CASA BLANCA · beach
- Playa Escondida · beach
- Mirador Mompiche · viewpoint
- Panecillo · viewpoint
- Agua Park (El surillal) · attraction
- Cuevas del Capitán · attraction
- Finca La Marina · attraction
- Finca Velazquez Meza · attraction
- Nidi de Tortuga · attraction
- Playa de Tongorachi · attraction
- parque · attraction
- Acuario de Atacames · zoo
- Cementerio San Mateo · memorial

…and 7 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: Esmeraldas 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

- Carlos Concha Torres International Airport (ESM) · Tachina46 km
- La Florida Airport (TCO) · Tumaco137 km

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.2 hours, sunrise around 06:12) and shortest in Dec (about 12.1 hours, sunrise around 06:09, sunset around 18:14).

Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight 

Jan 06:23 18:28 12.1 h 

Feb 06:28 18:34 12.1 h 

Mar 06:23 18:30 12.1 h 

Apr 06:13 18:21 12.1 h 

May 06:08 18:17 12.1 h 

Jun 06:12 18:22 12.2 h 

Jul 06:18 18:27 12.2 h 

Aug 06:17 18:26 12.1 h 

Sep 06:09 18:16 12.1 h 

Oct 05:59 18:05 12.1 h 

Nov 05:59 18:04 12.1 h 

Dec 06:09 18:14 12.1 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 Esmeraldas Province

Canton Area km² Parishes Services 

[Atacames Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/esmeraldas/atacames/) 511 5 333 

[Eloy Alfaro Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/esmeraldas/eloy-alfaro/) 4,482 16 42 

[Esmeraldas Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/esmeraldas/esmeraldas/) 1,348 9 316 

[Muisne Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/esmeraldas/muisne/) 1,277 9 96 

[Quinindé Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/esmeraldas/quininde/) 3,624 6 97 

[Rioverde Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/esmeraldas/rioverde/) 1,515 6 27 

[San Lorenzo Canton](https://wherepedia.org/ecuador/esmeraldas/san-lorenzo/) 3,099 13 45 

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 Esmeraldas Province

- Esmeraldas218,727
- Rosa Zarate42,121
- San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas20,209
- Muisne13,393
- Valdez11,441
- Pampanal de Bolívar1,118

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 Esmeraldas Province

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

### Water

132 rivers and streams; 2 lakes.

- Canal de Pampanal
- Estero Agua Sucia
- Estero Balzar
- Estero Bunca
- Estero Camarones
- Estero Carano
- Estero Carboncillal
- Estero Casa de Pargo
- Estero Ceibo
- Estero Chispa
- Estero El Salto
- Estero Feliciano
- Estero Guachal
- Estero La Hoja Blanca
- Estero Majagual
- Estero María
- Estero Molina
- Estero Najurungo
- Estero Natal
- Estero Orgullo
- Estero Palma
- Estero Panadero
- Estero Pinal
- Estero Rampiral

…and 110 more.

### Coast and islands

7 islands; 7 headlands.

- Isla Limones
- Isla Palma Real
- Isla San Pedro
- Isla Santa Rosa
- Isla Zapotal
- Isla Zapotal
- Isla de La Tola
- Punta Arenas
- Punta Este
- Punta Gorda
- Punta Lucero
- Punta Súa
- Punta Tortuga
- Punta Verde

### Hills and mountains

2 hills.

- Loma Tonsupa · 180 m
- Loma de Tonsupa · 106 m

### Forests and nature

2 nature reserves.

- Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve
- Mache-Chindul Ecological Reserve

### Estates

1 estate.

- Hacienda La Propicia

### Getting around

6 airfields; 1 airport; 1 railway station.

- Colonel Carlos Concha Torres Airport
- Km 192
- Km 200
- Limones
- Los Ajos
- Palmeras del Pailon
- San Lorenzo
- Timbre

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 Esmeraldas Province and the best time to visit

In Esmeraldas Province, the warmest month is Sep (average 26 °C) and the coolest is Jun (24 °C). About 1,417 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Mar (239 mm) and the driest Aug (20 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **June to December**.

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

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 25 210 

Feb 25 214 

Mar 25 239 

Apr 25 227 

May 25 158 

Jun 24 78 

Jul 25 32 

Aug 26 20 

Sep 26 34 

Oct 26 50 

Nov 26 52 

Dec 25 102 

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

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Esmeraldas Province

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

- Hospitals59
- Banks28
- ATMs5
- Petrol pumps25
- Hotels346
- Shopping malls9
- Schools137
- Colleges and universities22
- Pharmacies54
- Restaurants218
- Police stations33
- Dental clinics20

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 Esmeraldas Province?In Ecuador
- What is the population of Esmeraldas Province?643,654 (2020 estimate)
- What is the median age in Esmeraldas Province?About 23 years (2020 estimate)
- What is the population density of Esmeraldas Province?About 41 people per km²
- What borders Esmeraldas Province?Carchi Province, Imbabura Province, Manabí Province, Pichincha Province and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas Province
- What is there to see in Esmeraldas Province?Acuario de Atacames, Agua Park (El surillal), CLUB SAME CASA BLANCA, Cascade Canchalagua
- What time zone is Esmeraldas Province in?UTC−5
- What currency is used in Esmeraldas Province?Dollar (USD)
- What language is spoken in Esmeraldas Province?Spanish (main languages nationally)
- What is the largest town in Esmeraldas Province?Esmeraldas
- What is the highest point in Esmeraldas Province?Loma Tonsupa (180 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit Esmeraldas Province?June to December
- How many hospitals are in Esmeraldas Province?59 mapped
- How many banks are in Esmeraldas Province?28 mapped
- How many ATMs are in Esmeraldas Province?5 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Esmeraldas Province?25 mapped
- What is the P-code of Esmeraldas Province?EC08 (OCHA common operational dataset)