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Quito

Capital of EcuadorHigh in the Andes of northern Ecuador, Quito stretches along a valley on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active volcano.

Why it's the capital

Spanish settlers led by Sebastián de Benalcázar founded the city at its present site on 6 December 1534. From 1563 it was the seat of a Real Audiencia, a Spanish administrative district, and in 1822 the Battle of Pichincha, fought on the volcano's slopes, brought independence from Spain.

Fun facts

  1. At about 2,850 m above sea level, Quito is either the highest or the second-highest national capital in the world, depending on how you count.
  2. In 1978, Quito and Kraków were the first places that UNESCO declared World Cultural Heritage Sites.
  3. In its largest eruption, in 1660, Pichincha covered the city with more than 25 cm of ash.

Finding it on the globe

Quito is almost on the Equator, which runs through the northern part of its metropolitan area. Follow the line to where it crosses the Andes in Ecuador and tap just south of it.

Easy to mix up

Guayaquil, on the Guayas River near the Pacific, is Ecuador's largest city, but the capital is Quito, up in the Andes.

Sources: Wikipedia: Quito, Wikipedia: Guayaquil