Bolívar Province, Province in Andes Mountains, Ecuador
Bolívar is an administrative region in the central Ecuadorian highlands, extending across seven cantons. The terrain ranges from valleys to mountains reaching over 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) in elevation, cut by rivers flowing down from glacial zones.
The region was established as an administrative unit on April 23, 1884, named after the South American liberator Simón Bolívar. Before that date, the territory belonged to the neighboring regions of Chimborazo and Tungurahua.
Residents celebrate Carnival in Guaranda each February, one of the oldest festivals in the country featuring street dances and traditional masks. On market days, indigenous communities bring their produce into the valleys and speak in both Kichwa and Spanish.
The capital city Guaranda sits at the center and connects the different cantons through mountain roads that wind through valleys. Travelers should prepare for changing weather and bring warm clothing, as the elevation creates temperature swings.
The newly created conservation area protects more than 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) of high mountain wetlands that store water for many communities downstream. These moorlands sit at elevations where only specialized plants grow and rare Andean birds nest.
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