Croatian Ecuadorians

During the first period, Croat immigrants were moistly traders from Dubrovnik, Split and the island of Vis who settled in agricultural parts of Ecuador, especially in the region of Manabí, and in the cities such Bahía de Caráquez, Chone, Manta, Portoviejo and Guayaquil, Cuenca and Quito.

The current immigration of Croats began with their arrival in Ecuador and was largely motivated by the interest in the fish industry and the exploration of marine crustaceans.

Most of these new immigrants come from the Adriatic coast, especially from Split, and are employed in the tuna and sardines processing industry.

Ecuadorian Croats and their descendants have a high cultural and economic status in the society and are quite prominent, particularly in the agricultural and fishing fields, as well as in commerce and industry.

Ecuador has a large fleet of ships for banana transportation; also fish and merchant vessels whose crew is also made up of Croats living in Guayaquil.