Machala, city, southwestern Ecuador, in the Pacific coastal lowlands 2 miles (3 km) from the Gulf of Guayaquil. A commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural region, the city trades in bananas, cacao, coffee, and hides. Industrial development is slight, but a technical university was established in 1969. Puerto Bolívar, 4 miles (6 km) southwest, is the outport of Machala and handles much of Ecuador’s banana exports. Pop. (2001) 204,578; (2010) 231,260.