GUAYAQUIL or SANTIAGO DE GUAYAQUIL, a city and port of Ecuador, capital of the province of Guayas, on the right bank of the Guayas river, 33 m. above its entrance into the Gulf of Guayaquil, in 2° 1' 18" S., 79° 51' 46.25" W. Pop. about 126,717. The city is on a comparatively level plain, extending southward from the base of three low hills called Santa Carmen de la Cruz, between the river and the partially filled waters of the Estero Salado. It is about 3o ft. above sea level; the lower parts of the town are partially flooded in the rainy season, but this has recently been improved by raising and paving streets. The old town is the upper or northern part, and is inhabited by the poorer classes, its streets being badly paved, crooked and pestilential. The great fire of 1896 destroyed a large part of the old town, and some of its insanitary conditions were improved in rebuilding. The southern part is the business and residential quarter of the better classes. The buildings were chiefly of wood and the streets only surface drained, but sewerage systems have been installed and in some sections only stone or concrete may be used for building. An imposing governor's palace has recently been built of concrete. Other public build ings are the bishop's palace, town-hall, cathedral and nine churches, national college, episcopal seminary and schools of law and medicine, theatre, two hospitals, custom-house, several asylums and charitable institutions and a new concrete municipal building containing a library and museum. Guayaquil is also the seat of a university with faculties of law and medicine. The upper floors in business streets project over the v'alks, forming covered arcades.
The year is divided into a wet (Jan. to May) and a dry season. During the former the hot days are followed by nights of drenching rain. The mean annual temperature is about 82° to 83° F; malarial and bilious fevers are common, the latter being known as "Guayaquil fever." Yellow fever has been eliminated by the Rockefeller Foundation. The dry or summer season is considered pleasant and healthful.
The water-supply is brought in iron mains from the Cordilleras 53 m. distant. The mains pass under the Guayas river and dis charge into a distributing reservoir on Santa Ana hill, north of the city. The street railways belong to two companies. The Empresa Electrica del Ecuador operates 7.21 m. and has 28 electric cars, carrying (1926) 13,000,00o passengers. It was started about 1913 by the Empresa de Luz y Fuerza Electrica, controlled by local capital. In 1925 the local company was purchased by the Electric Bond and Share company of New York. In July 1926 the tramway business under the name of "Tranvias de Guayaquil" was separated from that of the electric supply. In addition 21 m. of street railway are operated by the Empresa de Carros Urbanos; in 1926 this company carried passengers; mules draw its cars.
Guayaquil has telephone and electric light services, and tele graph communication is through the "All America Cables, Inc." whose cable lands at the small port of Salinas about I oo m. west. A railway is being constructed to this port, which is a good summer resort with fine sea bathing and dry climate. Railway connection was established with Quito (278 m.) in 1908. Steam boats go to the producing districts of the province along the Guayas river and its tributaries, on which boats run regularly as far up as Babahoyo (8o m.) in the dry season, and for a distance of 4o m. on the Rio Daule. Smaller boats navigate about 200 m. of this river system. Nearly all the exports of Ecuador are shipped through the port of Guayaquil. The Guayas river is navigable up to Guayaquil for steamers drawing 2 2 ft.; larger vessels anchor at Puna, 4o m. below Guayaquil, where cargoes and passengers are transferred to lighters and tenders. At Guayaquil there is a quay along the river front but the water alongside does not exceed 18 ft. and steamers anchor a con siderable distance out in the Guayas. The principal exports are described in the article ECUADOR.
Santiago de Guayaquil was founded on July 25, by Sebastian de Benalcazar at the mouth of the Rio Babahoyo, then moved to the "estero" (at that time named Dima) and finally located on its present site by Francisco de Orellana in It was captured and sacked several times by pirates and freebooters in 1624 (by the Dutchman Jacob Heremite Clark), in 1683 (Edward David's crew) and in 1709. Owing to the flimsy construction of its buildings Guayaquil has been repeatedly burned, the greater fires occurring in 1707, 1764, 1865, 1896 and 1899. The city was made the see of a bishop in 1837.