The Republic of Ecuador was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Venezuela).
Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors.
A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999, although Peru still occupies and claims a large portion of territory to the east of Ecuador that was once Ecuadorean territory and which Ecuador still considers to belong to Ecuador.