🇪🇨 El Empalme (known officially as Velasco Ibarra) is a town in Guayas, Ecuador, near Los Ríos and Manabí provinces. It is the seat of El Empalme Canton, the northernmost canton in Guayas, created in 1971. The city takes its official name from the Ecuadorian ex-president José María Velasco Ibarra. It has good road connection with Balzar.
Rice, platano, cacao, and coffee are the main products. The most important river is the Daule River, which forms the boundary with Manabí.
Velasco Ibarra has a population of over 35,690 people. Velasco Ibarra also forms part of the wider Guayas province which has a population of over 3,645,483 people. For the location of Velasco Ibarra see: El Empalme.