region of eastern Ecuador, comprising the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes and the lowland areas of rainforest in the Amazon basin. It is bounded on the north by San Miguel and Putumayo rivers and on the east and south by Peru. Oriente has an area of about 50,000 square miles (130,000 square km) and consists of little-explored and virtually unexploited tropical forest inhabited by a tiny fraction of the country’s population, living mostly in small villages along the river courses. A sizable fraction of the population are Indians. Illiteracy is widespread, although the Roman Catholic Salesian missions have established a few boarding schools.
Timber and petroleum are the major economic resources, although their exploitation has been minimal. Agriculture includes grazing for cattle and limited cultivation of corn (maize) and oranges. Plantains and cassava (manioc) are important staple food crops.
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