Country Ecuador Time zone ECT (UTC-5) Area 327.3 km² | Canton Cuenca Canton Climate Cfb Province Azuay | |
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Baños is a town and parish in Cuenca Canton, Azuay Province, Ecuador. The parish covers an area of 327.3 km² and according to the 2001 Ecuadorian census it had a population total of 12, 271.
Contents
Map of Ba%C3%B1os, Ecuador
History
Baños was established in the early seventeenth century, when the Spanish exploited the gold and silver mines in the area. Historical records indicate that in 1693 the town branched out after the building of the parish church. Baños was officially recognized as a parish in 1852.
Geography
The town of Baños is located just 8 kilometres southwest of the city of Cuenca. It borders San Joaquín parish to the north, Tarqui and Victoria del Portete to the south, San Gerardo, Chumblín and San Fernando and Zhaglli to the east, and with Chaucha to the west. Baños covers an area of 327,3 km², which accounts for 10.6 percent of the total area of the canton of Cuenca.
Economy
The economy of the parish is based around retailing and tourism which accounts for most of the population, followed by agriculture and livestock which accounts for 24 per cent of the population, manufacturing industries (18%) and construction industries (17%). The main crops include maize, beans, potatoes and other vegetables. Clothes and furniture are amongst the most common products manufactured in Baños. The service sector provides jobs in the accommodation and restaurant services, transport and shops to cater for tourists visiting Cuenca and the surrounding canton. However, unemployment is a problem within the parish and led to 936 people migrating from the parish between November 1996 and 2001, mostly to the United States.
Between 2005 and 2009 the provincial government of Azuay Province invested US $1,650,000 in public works in the parish, including road infrastructure, educational facilities, sanitation, and socio-economic projects, some of them being water development schemes.