| Esmeraldas | |
| Official Name: | Province of Esmeraldas |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Image Map1: | Cantones de Esmeraldas.png |
| Map Caption1: | Cantons of Esmeraldas Province |
| Coordinates: | 0.6667°N -94°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Ecuador |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | September 21, 1847 |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Esmeraldas |
| Parts Type: | Cantons |
| Parts Style: | coll |
| Parts: | List of Cantons |
| Leader Party: | MUP |
| Leader Title: | Provincial Prefect |
| Leader Name: | Roberta Zambrano |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 15841 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 553900 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 248586 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | HDI (2017) |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0.718[2] · 16th |
| Registration Plate: | E |
Esmeraldas (pronounced as /es/) is a northwestern coastal province of Ecuador. The capital and largest city is Esmeraldas. Esmeraldas is one of the three provinces of Ecuador that borders Colombia, and it is the most northern province in the country. The province borders Imbabura and Carchi to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Manabí, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Pichincha to the south, and Colombia to the north. The province is home to the Afro-Ecuadorian culture.
Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census of 2010:[3]
The province has a governor who is appointed by the President. In 2013 Paola Cabezas was appointed as the Governor by President Rafael Correa.[4] She served for three years until she resigned and she was succeeded by Gabriel Rivera López who was also appointed by President Correa.[5]
The province is divided into 7 cantons. The following table lists each with its population at the time of the 2001 census, its area in square kilometres (km2), and the name of the canton seat or capital.[6]
| Canton | Pop. (2019) | Area (km2) | Seat/Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54,200 | 511 | Atacames | ||
| 45,270 | 4,302 | Valdez (a.k.a. Limones) | ||
| 216,900 | 1,351 | Esmeraldas | ||
| 31,030 | 1,265 | Muisne | ||
| 144,200 | 3,855 | Rosa Zárate (a.k.a. Quinindé) | ||
| 31,160 | 1,506 | Rioverde | ||
| 60,660 | 3,106 | San Lorenzo |
The cantons are divided into many parroquias:
In Muisne: