FIFA 2014 World Cup Ranking: 26

Star Player: Antonio Valencia

Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera, better known as Antonio Valencia, is a true rags-to-riches story. As a child Antonio spent his days helping his mother sell drinks outside of a local stadium, collecting used bottles for his father to sell to a bottle-deposit, and playing soccer in a nearby field. At 11 he was spotted by a scout and his life was forever changed. Today, Antonio splits his time playing for the Ecuadorian national team and Manchester United. The World Cup is undoubtedly a special time for Antonio- in 2006 his wife gave birth to his daughter, Domenica, during the Cup finals.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $84.53 billion

GDP per capita (PPP): $5,456.43

Government Structure: Republic

Corruption Index: 35 (Ranks 102 / 177)

Maternal Mortality Ratio: 110 deaths / 100,000 live births

Percentage of Females in Parliament: 39%

Religious Demographics: Roman Catholic 95%

Ethnic Demographics: Meztizo (Amerindian/White) 72%, Montubio 7%, Afroecuadorian 7%, White 7%

Literacy Rate: 91.6%

Health Barriers: Access to Improved Water Source: 94%

Access to Improved Sanitation Source: 92%

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: .4%

Youth % of populous (15-24): 18.7%

Contraceptive Prevalence: 72.7%

Development History of Ecuador:

High poverty and income inequality mostly affect the indigenous, mixed race, and rural populations of Ecuador. To that end, the administration of President Rafael Correa Delgado, who was re-elected to another four-year term in February 2013, has maintained its commitment to reducing poverty.

Some successes include the recent reduction of extreme poverty- between 2006 and 2013 it declined from 17% to 9%. Additionally, inequality is slowly decreasing- from 2006-2013 the middle class grew from 20% to 26%.

Despite these victories Ecuador is far from where it needs to be. More than half of its population continues to live in poverty or is vulnerable to falling below it.