Machala
Machala is a city in south-west Ecuador, capital of the El Oro Province. It is located near the Gulf of Guayaquil on fertile lowlands. It has a population of 216,901 (2000 estimate). Machala is sought to be the "Banana Capital of the World"
Machala is a commercial centre for the surrounding agriculture industries. There is a large trade in bananas, coffee and cocoa. Especially banana industry is orientated to exportation, and plays a huge role in the city's economy. It houses a university and serves as a stopping-off point on the way to nearby port Puerto Bolivar and the Jambeli Islands. Machala has a small airport which currently has no commercial flights . In the past there have been flights to Guayaquil and Quito with Ecuadorian airline TAME.
Most hotels are situated in the centre of the city.
Esmeraldeno soccer forward Eduardo Hurtado played in Machala's professional soccer team Audaz Octubrino.
External links
Municipio de Machala Web site of the municipality in Spanish
Diario Correo - El Diario de Todos News about Machala in Spanish
Universidad Technica de Machala
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Machala
