El Oro Province, Coastal province in southern Ecuador
El Oro runs along the southern Pacific coast of Ecuador, linking flat coastal stretches with wooded hills further inland. Rivers cross the territory from east to west, meeting mangroves and sandy bays near the sea.
The territory became an official province on April 23, 1884, after centuries of activity linked to mineral deposits in the hills. Later, the economy shifted toward agriculture and banana export through the port city of Machala.
The region takes its name from the gold deposits once mined in the inland hills. Towns closer to the mountains still show traces of this past in their older buildings and small mining displays.
Travelers can choose between coastal towns and mountain villages, each offering different climates and scenery. Bus routes connect these places, though journeys into the hills often involve winding roads.
In the southeast lies the Puyango petrified forest, where Cretaceous tree trunks roughly 100 million years old sit exposed on the ground. The site is considered one of the world's largest gatherings of fossilized wood and sits close to the Peruvian border.
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