Interesting Facts About Quito

Interesting Facts About Quito

Quito is in Ecuador, South America. Ecuador is south of Colombia, with Peru to the east and south. It is basically straight due south of Toronto, so no time change.

imagecredit:https://www.beautifulworld.com/south-america/ecuador/

Quito is the capital of Ecuador. The word Quito comes from the Quitus people, a pre-Columbian indigenous people who lived here. The official name is actually San Francisco de Quito. Population 2.7 million.

The city is built on top of the ruins of an Incan city. The Incas controlled the area from around 1450 to the 1500s. The Spanish founded Quito in 1534.

Quito is nicknamed the “Florence of the Americas”, and has 13 twin/sister cities, Toronto being one of them.  Except that the water is not safe to drink here.

Quito is the highest constitutional capital of the world, sitting at 2850 m (9350 ft) above sea level.

imagecredit:http://elevation.maplogs.com/poi/quito_ecuador.2449.html

Quito was the first city to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Check the UNESCO reference numbers: Quito comes up as #2 (a cathedral in Germany is #1). Coincidentally, the Galapagos Islands are #3.

1978

• Aachen Cathedral (Germany)
• City of Quito (Ecuador)
• Galápagos Islands (Ecuador)

The reason Quito is a UNESCO site is because it has an amazingly preserved and unchanged historical center.

imagecredit:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Touring_around_Quito,_Ecuador_-_Quito_city_from_the_historic_center_of_Quito_at_the_Virgin_del_Panecillo_monument_(16039061083).jpg

Quito has suffered some major earthquakes, with the most damage occurring in 1797 and 1859. Regardless, it is still the best preserved historic center in Latin America.

Quito sits next to 2 active volcanoes: Cotopaxi

imagecredit:https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/South_America/Ecuador/North/Pichincha/Quito/photo1150399.htm

and Pichincha, which covered Quito in 2 inches of ash in 1999.

imagecredit:https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanic_ash/airports_impacts.html

Quito only has 2 seasons: the wet season (Oct – May) and the dry season (June-Sept). We chose the wet season because it is slightly warmer, so hopefully warmer water for snorkelling. The sun rises and sets at the same time every day all year long, at roughly 6 am and 6 pm.