 |  | .jpg) |
 Pedro Saad |  Ronnie Nader | .jpg) Constanza Báez |
 |  |
| Part of a series of articles on |
| Lebanese people |
|---|
 |
 Lebanon portal |
Lebanese Ecuadorians are Ecuadorians who are descended from migrants from Lebanon. There are approximately 100,000[3] Lebanese people and their descendants living in Ecuador.
Migration from Lebanon to Ecuador started as early as 1875.[4] Early impoverished migrants tended to work as independent sidewalk vendors, rather than as wage workers in agriculture or others' businesses.[5] Though they emigrated to escape Ottoman Turkish oppression, they were called "Turks" by Ecuadorians because they carried Ottoman passports.[4] There were further waves of immigration in the first half of the 20th century; by 1930, there were 577 Lebanese immigrants and 489 of their descendants residing in the country, primarily at Quito and Guayaquil.[6]
The number of Lebanese descendants in Ecuador is not too clear. A 1982 estimate from Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated 20,000, while another private estimate from 1986 put it as high as 97,500.[7] They reside mostly in Quito and Guayaquil. They are predominantly of the Catholic faith.
|
Main article: List of Lebanese people (Ecuador) |
People of Lebanese background are very well represented in business and politics of the country. Some of them have reached the presidency and vice-presidency of Ecuador. Their prominence in politics provoked some backlash, with one politician warning of the "Bedouinization" of Ecuador.[8]
