All Topics  
Quito

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Quito
 
 
  Topics Quito Topic Home

San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador
Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west....
 in northwestern South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha
Pichincha (volcano)

Pichincha is an active stratovolcano in the country of Ecuador, whose capital Quito wraps around its eastern slopes. The mountain's two highest peaks are the Guagua , which means "child" in Quechua and the Rucu , which means "old person"....
, an active stratovolcano
Stratovolcano

A stratovolcano, sometimes called a composite volcano, is a tall, Volcanic cone volcano with many layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash....
 in the Andes
Andes

The Andes form the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km long, 200-700 km wide , and of an average height of about 4,000 m ....
 mountains. With a population of approximately 1,397,698 according to the last census (2001), and, as estimated by the municipality, approximately 1,504,991 in 2005, Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil
Guayaquil

Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Quito'
Start a new discussion about 'Quito'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador
Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west....
 in northwestern South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha
Pichincha (volcano)

Pichincha is an active stratovolcano in the country of Ecuador, whose capital Quito wraps around its eastern slopes. The mountain's two highest peaks are the Guagua , which means "child" in Quechua and the Rucu , which means "old person"....
, an active stratovolcano
Stratovolcano

A stratovolcano, sometimes called a composite volcano, is a tall, Volcanic cone volcano with many layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash....
 in the Andes
Andes

The Andes form the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km long, 200-700 km wide , and of an average height of about 4,000 m ....
 mountains. With a population of approximately 1,397,698 according to the last census (2001), and, as estimated by the municipality, approximately 1,504,991 in 2005, Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil
Guayaquil

Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil....
. It is also the capital of the Pichincha province
Pichincha Province

Pichincha is a province of Ecuador located in the northern sierra region; its capital and largest city is Quito. It is bordered by Imbabura Province & Esmeraldas Province to the north, Cotopaxi Province & Santo Domingo de Los Ts?chilas Province, Ecuador to the south, Napo Province & Sucumb?os Province to the east, and Esmeraldas Province & Sa...
 and the seat of Quito Canton, which since the 1993-12-27 passage of the municipal law known as "Ley de Régimen para el Distrito Metropolitano de Quito" is also known as Metropolitan District of Quito. The canton had 1,842,201 residents in the 2001 national census. In 2008 the city was designated as the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations.

The elevation of the city's central square
Plaza de La Independencia

The Plaza de La Independencia or Plaza Grande is the central square of the city of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. In the center of the square there is a monument that commemorates the independence of the Royal Audience of Quito from Spain....
 (Plaza de La Independencia or Plaza Grande) is 2,850 m (about 9,350 ft), making Quito the second-highest administrative capital city in the world (after La Paz
La Paz

Nuestra Se?ora de La Paz is the administrative Capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department, Bolivia. As of the 2001 census, the city of La Paz had a population of 789,585, and together with the neighboring cities of El Alto and Viacha, make the biggest urban area of Bolivia, with a population of over 1.6 mill...
, Bolivia
Bolivia

The Republic of Bolivia , named after Sim?n Bol?var, is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil on the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina on the south, and Chile and Peru on the west....
), and the highest legal capital (ahead of Sucre
Sucre

Sucre is the constitutional Capital of Bolivia, seat of the Supreme Court , and capital of the Chuquisaca department. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an altitude of 2750m ....
, also in Bolivia, and Bogotá
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
, Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
).

Quito is located about 25 km (15 miles) south of the equator
Equator

The equator is the intersection of the Earth's surface with the Plane perpendicular to the Earth's rotation and containing the Earth's center of mass....
. A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator is known locally as la mitad del mundo
Mitad del Mundo

The Mitad del Mundo is a tract of land owned by the prefecture of the province of Pichincha Province, Ecuador. It is located in the San Antonio parish of the Quito , north of the center of Quito....
 (the middle of the world), to avoid confusion, as the word is Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
 for equator.

History


Pre-Columbian

Quito's origins date back to the first millennium, when the Quitu tribe occupied the area and eventually formed a commercial center. According to Juan de Velasco
Juan de Velasco

Juan de Velasco y P?rez Petroche was an 18th-century Jesuit priest, historian and philosophy and theology professor from the Royal Audience of Quito....
's 1767 book Historia del Reino de Quito, the Quitu were conquered by the Caras tribe
Caras (tribe)

The Caras tribe flourished in coastal Ecuador, in what is now Manab? Province, in the first millennium CE. In the 10th Century CE they followed the Esmeraldas River up to the high Andean valley now known as the city San Francisco de Quito, where they defeated the local Quitu tribe and set up a kingdom....
, who founded the Kingdom of Quito about 980 CE.

Colony

Indigenous resistance to the Spanish invasion
Spanish colonization of the Americas

The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spain's conquest, settlement, and rule over much of the western hemisphere. Beginning with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, over three centuries the Spanish Empire expanded from early small settlements in the Caribbean to include Central America, most of South America, Mexico, what toda...
 continued during 1534, with Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro

Diego de Almagro , also known as Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spain conquistador and a companion and later rival of Francisco Pizarro....
 founding Santiago de Quito (in present day Colta, near Riobamba
Riobamba

Riobamba is the capital of the Chimborazo Province in central Ecuador, which is located at the Chambo River Valley of the Andes. It is 200 km south of Ecuador's capital Quito and located at on the Avenue of the Volcanoes....
) on August 15 of that same year, later to be renamed San Francisco de Quito on August 28. The city was later moved to its present location and was refounded on December 6, 1534 by 204 settlers led by Sebastián de Benalcázar, who captured Rumiñahui and effectively ended any organized resistance. Rumiñahui was then executed on January 10, 1535. On March 14, 1541, Quito was declared a city and on February 14, 1556, was given the title Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de San Francisco de Quito ("Very Noble and Loyal City of San Francisco of Quito"). In 1563, Quito became the seat of a royal audiencia (administrative district) of Spain and became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru
Viceroyalty of Peru

Created in 1542, the Viceroyalty of Peru was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish Empire South America, governed from the capital of Lima....
 with its capital in Lima
Lima

Lima is the Capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chill?n River, R?mac River and Lur?n River rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean....
 (see Real Audiencia de Quito
Royal Audience of Quito

The Royal Audience of Quito was an administrative unit in the Spanish Empire which had political, military, and religious jurisdiction over territories that today include Ecuador, parts of northern Peru, parts of southern Colombia and parts of northern Brazil....
). The Spanish promptly established the Catholic
Catholic

Catholic is an adjective derived from the Greek language adjective , meaning "whole" or "complete". In the context of Christianity ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages....
 religion in Quito, with the first church (El Belén) built even before the city had been officially founded. In January 1535, the San Francisco Convent was constructed, the first of about 20 churches and convents built during the colonial period. The Spanish actively evangelized the indigenous people and used them as slave labor for construction, especially in the early colonial years. The Diocese of Quito was established in 1545 and was elevated to the Archdiocese of Quito in 1849.

In 1809, after nearly 300 years of Spanish colonization, Quito was a city of about 10,000 inhabitants. On August 10, 1809, a movement was started in Quito that aimed for political independence from Spain. On that date, a plan for government was established that placed Juan Pío Montúfar as president with various other prominent figures in other positions of government. However, this initial movement was ultimately defeated on August 2, 1810, when Spanish forces came from Lima
Lima

Lima is the Capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chill?n River, R?mac River and Lur?n River rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean....
, Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and killed the leaders of the uprising along with about 200 inhabitants of the city. A chain of conflicts concluded on May 24, 1822, when Antonio José de Sucre
Antonio José de Sucre

Antonio Jos? de Sucre y Alcal? was a South American independence leader. Sucre was one of Sim?n Bol?var's closest friends, generals and statesmen....
, under the command of Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar

Sim?n Jos? Antonio de la Sant?sima Trinidad Bol?var Palacios y Blanco ? more commonly known as Sim?n Bol?var ? was, together with the Argentina general Jos? de San Mart?n, one of the most important leaders of Spanish America's successful struggle for independence....
, led troops into the Battle of Pichincha
Battle of Pichincha

The Battle of Pichincha took place on 24 May, 1822, on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, 3,500 meters above sea-level, right next to the city of Quito, in modern Ecuador....
. Their victory marked the independence of Quito and the surrounding areas.

Gran Colombia

Just days after the Battle of Pichincha, on May 24, 1822, the leaders of the city proclaimed their independence and allowed the city to be annexed to the Republic of Gran Colombia. Simón Bolívar went to Quito on June 16, 1822, and was present at the signing of the Colombian Constitution on June 24, 1822. When the Gran Colombia dissolved in 1830, Quito became the capital of the newly formed Republic of Ecuador.

Republican Era

In 1833, members of the Society of Free Inhabitants of Quito were assassinated by the government after they conspired against it, and on March 6, 1845, the Marcist Revolution
Marcist Revolution

On March 6, 1845, the people of Guayaquil, Ecuador, Revolution against the government of the General Juan Jos? Flores under the leadership of General Ant?nio Elizalde and Lieutenant-Colonel Fern?ndo Ayarza....
 began. Later, in 1875, the country's president, Gabriel García Moreno
Gabriel García Moreno

Gabriel Gregorio Fernando Jos? Mar?a Garc?a y Moreno y Mor?n de Buitr?n was an Ecuadorian statesman who twice served as President of Ecuador of his country and was assassinated during his second term....
, was assassinated in Quito. Two years later, in 1877, Archbishop José Ignacio Checa y Barba was killed by poisoning while he was giving mass.

In 1882, insurgents arose against the regime of dictator Ignacio de Veintemilla
Ignacio de Veintemilla

Mario Ignacio Francisco Tom?s Antonio de Veintemilla y Villac?s was List of heads of state of Ecuador of Ecuador 8 September 1876 to 26 January 1878 and 25 March 1882 to 9 July 1883 and de facto ruler from 8 September 1876 to 9 July 1883....
. However, this did not end the violence that was occurring throughout the country. On July 9, 1883, the liberal commander Eloy Alfaro
Eloy Alfaro

Jos? Eloy Alfaro Delgado was president of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911.Alfaro was the leader of the Ecuadorian Liberal Revolution, a struggle he waged from his youth until 1895 when the liberals finally took power....
 participated in the Battle of Guayaquil, and later, after more conflict, became the president of Ecuador on September 4, 1895. Upon completing his second term in 1911, he moved to Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
. When he returned to Ecuador in 1912 and attempted a return to power, he was arrested on January 28, 1912; thrown in prison; and assassinated by a mob that had stormed the prison. His body was dragged through the streets of Quito to a city park, where it was burned.

In 1932, the Four Days' War broke out. This was a civil war that followed the election of Neptalí Bonifaz and the subsequent realization that he carried a Peruvian passport. Workers at a major textile factory went on strike in 1934, and similar unrest continues to the present day. On February 12, 1949, a realistic broadcast of H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells , known by his pen name H. G. Wells, was an England author, best known for his work in the science fiction genre. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction"....
' novel The War of the Worlds led to citywide panic and the deaths of more than twenty people who died in fires set by mobs.

In recent years, Quito has been the focal point of large demonstrations that led to the ousting of presidents Abdalá Bucaram
Abdalá Bucaram

Abdal? Jaime Bucaram Ortiz is an Ecuadorian politician and lawyer who briefly occupied the List of heads of state of Ecuador of Ecuador. The National Congress of Ecuador dismissed him as President....
 (February 5, 1997), Jamil Mahuad
Jamil Mahuad

Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt was List of heads of state of Ecuador of Ecuador from August 10, 1998 to January 21, 2000. He was forced to resign after a week of demonstrations by indigenous Ecuadorians and a military revolt led by Lucio Guti?rrez....
 (January 21, 2000), and Lucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Gutiérrez

Lucio Edwin Guti?rrez Borb?a served as President of Ecuador from January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005....
 (April 20, 2005).

Geography


Quito is located in the northern highlands
Highland (geography)

The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous region north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault....
 of Ecuador
Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west....
 in the Guayllabamba
Guayllabamba River

The Guayllabamba is a river that originates in the east of Pichincha Province in northern Ecuador and flows into Esmeraldas Province. The river is named after the Guayllabamba plain....
 river basin. The city has been built on a long plateau lying on the east flanks of the Pichincha volcano. The valley of Guayllabamba River where Quito lies is flanked by volcanoes, some of them snow-capped, that can be visible from the city on a clear day. Some of the volcanoes on the Central Cordillera (Royal Cordillera), east of Quito, surrounding the Guayllabamba valley are Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located about 75 kilometres south of Quito, Ecuador, South America. It is the second highest summit in the country, reaching a height of 5,897 m ...
, Sincholagua, Antisana
Antisana

Antisana is a stratovolcano of the northern Andes, in Ecuador. It is the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador, at 18,871 ft. , and is located 50 km SE of the capital city of Quito....
, and Cayambe
Cayambe (volcano)

Cayambe is the name of a volcano located in the Cordillera Oriental , a branch of the Ecuadorian Andes. It is located in Pichincha Province province some 70 km northeast of Quito....
. Some of the volcanoes of the Western Cordillera, to the west of the Guayllabamba valley, are Illiniza, Atacazo, Pichincha
Pichincha (volcano)

Pichincha is an active stratovolcano in the country of Ecuador, whose capital Quito wraps around its eastern slopes. The mountain's two highest peaks are the Guagua , which means "child" in Quechua and the Rucu , which means "old person"....
, and Pululahua (which has the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve
Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve

Reserva Geobot?nica Pululahua is a protected area around Pululuhua Volcano in the north of Quito Canton, Pichincha Province, Ecuador. It is 17 km north of Quito....
).

Nearby volcanoes

Quito's closest volcano is Pichincha, looming over the western side of the city. Quito is also the only capital in the world to be directly menaced by an active volcano. Pichincha volcano has several summits, among them Rucu Pichincha at 4700 metres above sea level and Guagua Pichincha at 4794 metres. Guagua Pichincha is active and being monitored by volcanologists at the geophysical institute of the national polytechnic university. The largest eruption occurred in 1660 when more than 10 inch
Inch

An inch is the name of a Units of measurement of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units....
es (25 cm) of ash covered the city. There were three minor eruptions in the 1800s. The latest eruption was recorded on August 23, 2006, when a few puffs of smoke and a large amount of ash were deposited on the city. Although not devastating, the eruption caused significant disruption of activities, including closing of the international airport. It is unlikely that any serious activity will occur in the near future, and the topography of the volcano is such that, even if a major eruption were to occur, lava flows would head into the almost-unpopulated areas west of the volcano, sparing Quito, which lies to the east.

Activity in other nearby volcanoes also can affect the city. In November 2002, after an eruption in the volcano Reventador
Reventador

Reventador is an active stratovolcano which lies in the eastern Andes of Ecuador. It lies in a remote area of the national park of the same name....
, the city was showered with a layer of fine ash particles to a depth of several centimeters.

Climate

Because of its elevation and its proximity to the equator, Quito has a fairly constant cool climate, Spring-like weather year-round. The average temperature at noon is 19°C
Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death....
 (66°F
Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit , who proposed it in 1724. Today, the scale has largely been replaced by the Celsius scale; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other countries such as Belize....
) with a normal night-time low of 10°C
Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death....
 (50°F
Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit , who proposed it in 1724. Today, the scale has largely been replaced by the Celsius scale; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other countries such as Belize....
). The annual average temperature is 15°C
Celsius

Celsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death....
 (64°F
Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit , who proposed it in 1724. Today, the scale has largely been replaced by the Celsius scale; it is still in use for non-scientific purposes in the United States and a few other countries such as Belize....
). The city experiences only two seasons: dry and wet. The dry season, June through September (4 months), is referred to as summer; the wet season, October through May (8 months), is referred to as winter.



Demographics


Population

, also officially known as Distrito Metropolitano de Quito These are numbers for the city proper only, not the whole canton, which also includes surrounding rural parishes (parish seats and their surroundings), which are separate from the city.
  • Population: 3,399,378
  • Number of households: 419,845
  • Illiteracy rate
    Literacy

    The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to Reading , Writing, Listening, and Speech communication....
    : 3.6%
  • Unemployment
    Unemployment

    File:World map of countries by rate of unemployment.pngUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work, but the person is without Wage labour....
     rate: 8.9%
  • Underemployment
    Underemployment

    In economics, the term underemployment has three different distinct meanings and applications. While it is related to unemployment, a situation in which a person who is searching for work cannot find a job, in the case of underemployment, a person is working....
     rate: 43.8%


Topographical zones

Quito is divided into three areas, separated by hills:
  1. The center houses the colonial old city
    Quito

    San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the Capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha , an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains....
    .
  2. The southern part is mainly industrial and residential, and a working-class housing area.
  3. The northern part is modern Quito, with high-rise buildings, shopping centers, the financial district, and upper-class residential areas and some working-class housing areas. It is the location of Mariscal Sucre International Airport
    Mariscal Sucre International Airport

    Mariscal Sucre International Airport is an airport in Quito, Ecuador, named after Antonio Jos? de Sucre, a hero of Ecuadorian and Latin American independence....
    .


Politics


Governance

Quito is governed by a mayor and a 15-member city council. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and can be re-elected. The position also doubles as Mayor of the Metropolitan District of Quito
Quito (canton)

Quito Canton, since 1993 also known as Metropolitan District of Quito , is a cantons of Ecuador in the province of Pichincha Province, Ecuador....
 (the canton).

 Recent mayors
Start End Name Political party
1940 1944 Jacinto Jijón y Caamaño
Jacinto Jijón y Caamaño

Jacinto Jij?n y Caama?o was an Ecuadorian historian and politician. He was the mayor of the city of Quito in the 1940s. He was a member of the Ecuadorian parliament and a candidate for the president of Ecuador....
 		 
1956 1960 Carlos Andrade Marín  
1960 1968 Julio Moreno Espinoza  
1968 1972 Jaime del Castillo Álvarez  
1972 1980 Sixto Durán Ballén
Sixto Durán Ballén

Sixto Alfonso Dur?n-Ball?n Cordovez is an Ecuadorian political figure and architect. He served as Mayor of Quito between 1970 and 1978, and as president of Ecuador between 1992 and 1996....
 		 PSC
Social Christian Party (Ecuador)

The Social Christian Party is a centre-right political party in Ecuador.The party was founded by Camilo Ponce Enr?quez and was initially focused on Quito....
1980 1984 Álvaro Pérez PLRE
Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party

The Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party is a liberal parties in Ecuador and the oldest existing political party in Ecuador.The party came out of divisions between moderate and radical liberals in the Liberal Party of Ecuador....
1984 1988 Gustavo Herdoíza  
1988 1992 Rodrigo Paz Delgado
Rodrigo Paz

Rodrigo Paz Delgado is an Ecuadorian politician and businessman. He was the mayor of Quito from 1988 to 1992, and a presidential candidate in 1995/6....
 		 DP
1992 1998 Jamil Mahuad
Jamil Mahuad

Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt was List of heads of state of Ecuador of Ecuador from August 10, 1998 to January 21, 2000. He was forced to resign after a week of demonstrations by indigenous Ecuadorians and a military revolt led by Lucio Guti?rrez....
 		 DP
1998 2000 Roque Sevilla DP
2000 2009 Paco Moncayo Gallegos
Paco Moncayo

Paco Moncayo Gallegos is a former Mayor of Quito, Ecuador and a retired General of the Army.During his military career he gained the respect and admiration of his fellow Ecuadorians mostly because of his conduct of the Alto Cenepa War between Ecuador and Per?....
 		 ID
Party of the Democratic Left

The Democratic Left Party is a social-democrat party in Ecuador. It is a member of the Socialist International. At the legislative elections in Ecuador, held on 20 October 2002, the party won at least 13 out of 100 seats....
2009 Andrés Vallejo Arcos
Andrés Vallejo

Andr?s Vallejo Arcos is an Ecuadorian lawyer, journalist and politician.He was the president of the Ecuadorian parliament from 1986 to 1987, and the minister of the Ministerio de Gobierno from 1988 to 1990....
 		 


Urban parishes

In Ecuador, cantons are subdivided into parishes. These subdivisions are called parishes because they were originally used by the Catholic Church, but, along with the secularization and liberalization of the Ecuadorian state, the political parishes were spun off the ones used by the church. Parishes are called urban if they are within the boundaries of the seat (capital) of their corresponding canton, and rural if they are outside of those boundaries. Inside Quito (the city proper), the way in which the city is subdivided into urban parishes depends on the organizations which use those parishes (e.g., the municipality, the electoral tribunals, the postal service, the Ecuadorian statistics institute). The urban parishes of different types are not necessarily coterminous nor the same in number or name.

Municipal/administrative urban parishes (cabildos)
As of 2008, the municipality of Quito divided the city into 32 urban parishes. These parishes, which are used by the municipality for administrative purposes, are also known as cabildos since 2001. Since the times of the Metropolitan District of Quito, parishes of this type are also grouped into larger divisions known as municipal zones (zonas municipales). These parishes are as follows:

  1. Argelia, La
  2. Belisario Quevedo
  3. Carcelén
  4. Centro Histórico
  5. Chilibulo
  6. Chillogallo
  7. Chimbacalle
  8. Cochapamba
  9. Comité del Pueblo
  10. Condado, El
  11. Concepción, La
  12. Cotocollao
  13. Ecuatoriana, La
  14. Ferroviaria, La
  15. Guamaní
  16. Inca, El
  17. Iñaquito
  18. Itchimbía
  19. Jipijapa
  20. Kennedy
  21. Libertad, La
  22. Magdalena
  23. Mariscal Sucre
  24. Mena, La
  25. Ponceano
  26. Puengasí
  27. Quitumbe
  28. Rumipamba
  29. San Juan
  30. San Bartolo
  31. Solanda
  32. Turubamba


The municipal zones into which these parishes are grouped are as follows:
  • Sur: Chillogallo, La Ecuatoriana, Guamaní, Quitumbe, Turubamba
  • Centro Sur: La Argelia, Chilibulo, Chimbacalle, La Ferrovaria, La Magdalena, La Mena, San Bartolo, Solanda
  • Centro: Centro Histórico, Itchimbía, La Libertad, Puengasí, San Juan
  • Norte: Belisario Quevedo, Cochapamba, La Concepción, El Inca, Iñaquito, Jipijapa, Kennedy, Mariscal Sucre, Rumipamba
  • Centro Norte: Carcelén, Comité del Pueblo, El Condado, Cotocallao, Ponceano


Electoral urban parishes (CNE/TEP)

Electoral urban parishes are used by the Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) (until the 2008 Ecuadorian constitution known as Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE)) and by the Tribunal Electoral de Pichincha (TEP) in order to distribute vote ballots and count electoral votes. Unlike rural parishes, urban parishes do not have and do not elect a junta parroquial (parochial committee/junta). Within each of these parishes, there are one or more schools in which elections take place, typically on Sundays. As of the 2008 Ecuadorian referendum, there were 19 urban parishes of this type, as follows :

  1. Alfaro
  2. Benalcázar
  3. Chaupicruz
  4. Chillogallo
  5. Cotocollao
  6. El Salvador
  7. González Suárez
  8. Guápulo
  9. La Floresta
  10. La Libertad
  11. La Magdalena
  12. La Vicentina
  13. San Blas
  14. San Marcos
  15. San Roque
  16. San Sebastián
  17. Santa Barbara
  18. Santa Prisca
  19. Villa Flora


Later in 2008, the relatively small González Suárez parish was removed from the list , prior to the 2009 elections.

Ecclesiastical urban parishes

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quito divides the city into the following urban parishes, which are grouped in zones . Zones 10 to 15 are not listed because they are rural. Zones 4, 6, 16 and 17 also include some rural parishes, which are not listed here.

Zone 1 (western part of the city center)
  1. El Sagrario
  2. San Roque
  3. Santa Bárbara
  4. San Juan
  5. La Merced de El Tejar
  6. San Diego
  7. Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, la Basílica del Voto Nacional
    Basílica del Voto Nacional

    The Basilica of the National Vow is a Roman Catholic Church church located in Quito, Ecuador.Consecrated in 1988, it remains technically "unfinished." Local legend says that when the Bas?lica is completed, the end of the world will come....


Zone 2 (eastern part of the city center)
  1. San Blas
  2. San Sebastián
  3. San Marcos
  4. Santo Domingo
  5. Cristo Rey - La Tola
  6. Corpus Christi
  7. Santo Domingo Savio - Tola Baja


Zone 3 (southwest part of northern Quito)
  1. Santa Clara de San Millán
  2. Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro
  3. La Santísima Trinidad
  4. Cristo Redentor de Pambachupa
  5. Santo Tomás de Aquino - Las Casas
  6. La Dolorosa del Colegio San Gabriel
  7. La Inmaculada Concepción de Iñaquito
  8. Santa María Madre de la Iglesia
  9. Nuestra Señora del Rosario del Pichincha


Zone 4 (southeast part of northern Quito)
  1. Santa Prisca - El Belén
  2. Santa Teresita
  3. Santa Marianita de Jesús - La Floresta
  4. La Vicentina
  5. Nuestra Señora de Guápulo
  6. Nuestra Señora de La Paz
  7. María Auxiliadora - El Girón
  8. Purísimo Corazón de María
  9. San Pedro y San Pablo
  10. Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de El Batán
  11. Nuestra Señora de Fátima de El Batán


Zone 5 (northern part of southern Quito)
  1. San Juan Apóstol y Evangelista de Chimbacalle
  2. Cristo Salvador - El Camal
  3. San Pablo Apóstol - Ferroviaria Baja
  4. San Martín de Porres - Ferroviaria Alta
  5. Virgen Peregrina de Puengasí
  6. La Medalla Milagrosa
  7. Señor de la Buena Esperanza - Villaflora
  8. San Pedro Apóstol de Luluncoto
  9. El Espíritu Santo - San Bartolo
  10. San Antonio Maria Claret - La Argelia
  11. Santa Cruz de Monjas


Zone 6 (central part of southern Quito)
  1. La Magdalena
  2. San José de La Libertad
  3. Santa Ana
  4. Chilibulo y Marcopamba
  5. La Santiago
  6. Cristo Resucitado
  7. Nuestra Señora de la Anunciación
  8. Santa María del Calzado
  9. Santa Anita de Barrionuevo
  10. San Ignacio de Loyola
  11. Santa Rita de Casia
  12. San Andrés Kim
  13. San Cristóbal de Guajaló
  14. Santa María del Inti


Zone 7 (southernmost part of southern Quito}
  1. Nuestra Señora de la Nueva Aurora
  2. Santiago Apóstol de Chillogallo
  3. Santa María del Camino
  4. San Antonio de Padua
  5. Santo Hermano Miguel de La Ecuatoriana
  6. Nuestra Señora de La Merced de La Arcadia
  7. Verbo Divino de Caupicho
  8. Jesús Sembrador de la Palabra
  9. Santo Angel de Guamaní
  10. Santa Bárbara de Chillogallo
  11. El Buen Pastor de Turubamba


Zone 8 (northeast part of northern Quito)
  1. La Concepción Inmaculada de María Santísima
  2. Nuestra Señora de Fátima de Andalucía
  3. Nuestra Señora del Rosario
  4. Sagrados Corazones de San Carlos
  5. San Isidro de El Inca
  6. San José de El Inca
  7. El Carmelo
  8. San Juan Bosco - La Kennedy
  9. San Leonardo Murialdo
  10. La Sagrada Familia de la Rumiñahui
  11. Santuario del Divino Niño Jesús
  12. Nuestra Señora de El Cisne
  13. Santa Catalina de Siena de Monteserrín
  14. San Carlos Borromeo
  15. Virgen del Quinche y Jesús del Gran Poder
  16. Jesús del Buen Pastor de la Kennedy


Zone 9 (northwest part of northern Quito)
  1. San Juan Bautista de Cotocollao
  2. Nuestra Señora Reina del Mundo
  3. San Lucas Evangelista
  4. San José Obrero
  5. San Francisco de Asís
  6. San Juan Eudes
  7. San José de El Condado
  8. Madre del Redentor
  9. Santa Cruz de Casitagua
  10. San Joaquín y Santa Ana
  11. Cristo Luz del Mundo
  12. San Judas Tadeo
  13. María Estrella de la Evangelización
  14. Santa Cruz de la Esperanza
  15. La Sagrada Familia de El Condado


Zone 16 (private parishes)
  1. San Miguel Arcángel
  2. Parroquia Universitaria María Sede de la Sabiduría


Zone 17 (vicariates)
  1. Santo Cura de Ars - Colinas de Norte (Hermanas Franciscanas)


Transportation


Ground transport


Road transport

Public road transport
The MetrobusQ
MetrobusQ

MetrobusQ or Sistema MetrobusQ is a bus rapid transit system managed by the Empresa Metropolitana de Servicios y Administraci?n del Transporte , the transportation agency of the municipality of the city of Quito, Pichincha Province, Ecuador....
 network, also known as "Red Integrada de Transporte Público", is the bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that, through improvements to infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling, attempt to use buses to provide a service that is of a higher quality than an ordinary bus line....
 system running in Quito, and it goes through the city from south to north. It's divided into three sections—the green line (the central trolleybus
El Trole

El Trole is the trolleybus system of the city of Quito, Ecuador. It is managed by an agency of the municipality known as Empresa Metropolitana de Servicios y Administraci?n del Transporte ....
), the red line (the north-east Ecovía), and the blue line (the north-west Corredor Central). In addition to the bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that, through improvements to infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling, attempt to use buses to provide a service that is of a higher quality than an ordinary bus line....
 system, there are many buses running in the city. The buses have both a name and a number, and they have a fixed route. Taxi cabs are all yellow, and they have meters that show the fare. There are nearly 8,800 registered taxicab
Taxicab

A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride....
s.

Private road transport
Although public transportation is the primary form of travel in the city, including fleets of taxis that constantly cruise the roadways, the use of private vehicles has increased substantially during the past decade. This has happened despite the fact that vehicles are twice as expensive as in the U.S., due to import tariffs and taxes. Because of growing road congestion in many areas, there are plans to replace the Trole with a light railway
Light railway

Light railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs....
 system, with construction expected to begin in 2009.

Roads, avenues and streets
Because Quito is about 40 km (24.85 miles) long and 5 km (3.1 miles) at its widest, most of the important avenues of the city extend from north to south. The two main motorways that go from the northern part of the city to the southern are Avenue Oriental (Corredor Periférico Oriental) on the eastern hills that border the city, and Avenue Occidental on the western side of the city on the Pichincha volcano. The street 10 de Agosto also goes north to south through most of the city, running down the middle of it. Because of the hills and the city's curved shape, a grid pattern is extremely difficult to imply. The historic centre of the city is based on a grid pattern, despite the hills, with the streets Venezuela, Chile, García Moreno, and Guayaquil being the most important.

Some of the most important avenues in Quito are:
  • Avenue Río Amazonas
  • Avenue de la Prensa
  • Avenue 6 de Diciembre
  • Avenue de los Shyris
  • Avenue Naciones Unidas
  • Avenue 10 de Agosto
  • Avenue Diego de Vazques
  • Avenue Eloy Alfaro
  • Avenue de la República
  • Avenue República del Salvador
  • Avenue América
  • Avenue 12 de Octubre
  • Avenue Patria
  • Avenue Francisco de Orellana
  • Avenue General Rumiñahui
  • Avenue Interoceánica
  • Avenue González Suárez
  • Avenue Real Audiencia
  • Avenue Galo Plaza
  • Avenue El Inca
  • Avenue Napo
  • Avenue Vicente Maldonado


Railroad transport
There is a railroad that goes through the southern part of Quito and passes through the Estación de Chimbacalle. It is managed by the Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos
Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos

Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos is the company in charge of the Ecuadorian railroad that runs from San Lorenzo, Ecuador, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador, to Guayaquil, Guayas Province, Ecuador....
 (EFE). This form of transport is nowadays used mostly for tourism.

Air transport

Mariscal Sucre International Airport
Mariscal Sucre International Airport

Mariscal Sucre International Airport is an airport in Quito, Ecuador, named after Antonio Jos? de Sucre, a hero of Ecuadorian and Latin American independence....
 (IATA airport code: UIO) serves as the city's principal airport for passenger travel and freight. Its runway is 3120 metres long and is capable of handling many types of large aircraft. The main terminal is located on Avenue Amazonas. The airport is located 10 kilometres north of the city's centre, within driving distance to the main business center. Because of tall buildings and fog at night, landing from the south is not as easy as at many other airports. Its domestic flights go to Guayaquil
Guayaquil

Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil....
, Cuenca, Lago Agrio, Coca, Tarapoa, Esmeraldas, Manta, Portoviejo, Macas, Tulcán, and many others. Flights to the Galápagos Islands are reached via Guayaquil. Several international airlines have offices in Quito; most of them are around Avenue Amazonas. The airport provides international connections to Madrid
Madrid

Madrid is the Capital and largest city of Spain. It is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its Madrid metropolitan area is the Largest urban areas of the European Union in the European Union after Paris aire urbaine, Greater London Urban Area, a...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Bogotá
Bogotá

Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
, Medellín
Medellín

Medell?n , officially the Municipio de Medell?n or Municipality of Medell?n, is the List of capitals and largest cities by country in Colombia....
, Cali
Santiago de Cali

Santiago de Cali , often shortened to Cali, is the main city and capital of the Valle del Cauca, a department in western Colombia, also known as the Pacific Region....
, Lima
Lima

Lima is the Capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chill?n River, R?mac River and Lur?n River rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean....
, Santiago
Santiago, Chile

Santiago , is the Capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of 520 m Above mean sea level....
, Panama City
Panama City

Panama City is the Capital and largest city of the Panama. It has a population of 708,738, with a total metro population of 1,063,000, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, at ....
, San José
San José, Costa Rica

San Jos? is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and is at the heart of Gran Area Metropolitana or GAM, located in the Costa Rican Central Valley....
, Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind S?o Paulo, and the third largest metropolitan area in South America, behind S?o Paulo and Buenos Aires....
, São Paulo
São Paulo

S?o Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, and along with Tokyo, Seoul and Mexico City is among the four largest metropolitan regions of the world....
, and many others. The construction of a new airport in the rural parish of Tababela, in the adjacent valley outside the city limits, began in 2006 and will be finished by 2010. The Mariscal Sucre International Airport will then become a big park.

Points of interest


Historic centre


According to UNESCO's Web site, Quito has the largest, best-preserved, and least-altered historic centre (320 hectares) in Latin America, despite the 1917 earthquake. It was one of the first sites that was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978. Some of the churches are:
  • Cathedral of Quito
    Cathedral of Quito

    The Cathedral of Quito is the cathedral church in Quito, Ecuador. Located on the southern side of Plaza de La Independencia, it serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quito....
  • Church of the Society of Jesus (La Compañía)
    Church of the Society of Jesus

    La Iglesia de la Compa??a de Jes?s is a Society of Jesus church in the historic center of Quito, Ecuador. It is one of the most well-known churches in Quito because of its central nave, which is covered in seven tons of gold leaf....
  • Church and Convent of St. Francis (San Francisco)
    Church and Convent of St. Francis

    The Convent of St. Francis is located in Plaza San Francisco, Quito. Construction works began few weeks after the founding of the city in 1534 and ended in 1604. The founder of the church is Franciscan missionary Joedco Ricke....
  • Church and Convent of St. Dominic (Santo Domingo)
  • Church and Convent of La Merced
  • Basílica del Voto Nacional
    Basílica del Voto Nacional

    The Basilica of the National Vow is a Roman Catholic Church church located in Quito, Ecuador.Consecrated in 1988, it remains technically "unfinished." Local legend says that when the Bas?lica is completed, the end of the world will come....


El Panecillo

El Panecillo
El Panecillo

El Panecillo is a 200-meter-high volcanic-origin hill with loess soil, between southern and central Quito. Its peak is at an elevation of 3016 meters above sea level....
 is a hill located in the middle west of the city at an altitude of about 9,895 ft (3,016 m) above sea level. A monument to the Virgin Mary is located on top of El Panecillo and is visible from most of the city of Quito. In 1976, the Spanish artist Agustín de la Herrán Matorras was commissioned by the religious order of the Oblate
Oblate (religion)

An oblate in Christianity monasticism is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Currently, oblate has two meanings:...
s to build a 134.5 ft (41 m)–tall aluminum monument of a madonna
Madonna (art)

Images of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child are pictorial or scuptured representations of Mary, Mother of Jesus, either alone, or more frequently, with the infant Jesus....
, which was assembled on a high pedestal on the top of Panecillo. Made of approximately 7,000 pieces of aluminum, the monument was inaugurated on March 28, 1976, by the 11th archbishop
Archbishop

In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and others, this means that they lead a diocese of particular importance called an archdiocese, or in the Anglican Communion an Ecclesiastical Province, but this is not always the case....
 of Quito, Pablo Cardinal Muñoz Vega.

The figure stands on top of a globe, standing on top of a chained crocodile , symbolizing her triumph over evil (classic madonna iconography
Iconography

Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Ancient Greek e???? and ??afe?? ....
). What is not so traditional, however, is her wings. The monument was inspired by the famous "Virgen de Quito" (Quito's Madonna), also known as "the dancer" sculpted by Bernardo de Legarda in 1734, which now decorates the main altar at the Church of St. Francisco. This madonna represents a turning point of the Quito School of Art (one of the most renowned of the Americas) because it shows a figure with great movement (practically dancing), which is in contrast to the traditional static madonnas produced during the 18th century.

Parks


Metropolitano
Parque Metropolitano Guanguiltagua is the largest urban park in South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
 at 1,376 acres
Acre

The acre is a Units of measurement of area in a number of different systems, including the Imperial unit#Measures of area and United States customary units#Units of area systems....
 (5.5 km²) (as reference, New York's Central Park
Central Park

Central Park is a large public, urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually. Most of the areas immediately adjacent to the park are known for impressive buildings and valuable real estate....
 is 843 acres [3.4 km²]). The park is located in northern Quito, on the hill of Bellavista behind Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa
Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa

Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa is a multi-use stadium in Quito, Ecuador. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 40,948....
. The park is suited for mountain biking, walking, and running. Most of it is eucalyptus
Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of Flowering plant trees in the Myrtus family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia....
 forest with trails, but there also are numerous sculptures on display. The park has four sites that can be used for picnics or barbecues, and the eastern section has a view of Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located about 75 kilometres south of Quito, Ecuador, South America. It is the second highest summit in the country, reaching a height of 5,897 m ...
, Antisana
Antisana

Antisana is a stratovolcano of the northern Andes, in Ecuador. It is the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador, at 18,871 ft. , and is located 50 km SE of the capital city of Quito....
, and the Guayllabamba river basin.

La Carolina
La Carolina is a 165.5-acre (670,000 m²) park in the centre of the Quito main business area, bordered by the avenues Río Amazonas, de los Shyris, Naciones Unidas, Eloy Alfaro, and de la República. This park started from the expropriation of the farm La Carolina in 1939. The modern design of the park was made by the Dirección Metropolitana de Planificación Territorial (DMPT). Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II John Paul II is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. He has been Pope_John_Paul_II#Role_in_the_fall_of_Communism in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and A...
 headed a great mass in the park during his visit to Ecuador in 1985. A giant cross has been built in this place.

Quiteños gather at La Carolina mostly on weekends to play soccer, basketball
Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a basketball through a 10 feet  high hoop under organized rules....
, and ecua-volley (an Ecuadorian variation of volleyball
Volleyball

Volleyball is an Olympic Games team sport in which two teams of 6 active players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules....
 with less emphasis on spiking, which allows more of a throw). Some of the other activities are aerobics, kite flying, running, snacking, and people watching. The southern part of the park has a small pond where paddle boats can be rented and a skatepark
Skatepark

A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment for skateboarders to ride and develop their technique. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, stairway, and any number of other objects....
 for bicyclists and skateboarders. Artists are known to perform on weekends at the park. In the western part of the park, visitors will find the Quito Exhibition Center with different exhibits every month, the Quito botanical gardens , and a Vivarium.

El Ejido
El Ejido is the third-largest park of Quito (after Metropolitan and La Carolina), and it divides the old part of the city from the modern one. This park is known for handicrafts available for sale every Saturday and Sunday, with all pricing subject to negotiation (that is, haggling). Local painters sell copies of paintings by Oswaldo Guayasamín
Oswaldo Guayasamín

Oswaldo Guayasam?n was an Ecuadorian master painter and sculptor. He was born in Quito to a native father and a Mestizo mother, both of Quechua descent....
 , Eduardo Kingman
Eduardo Kingman

Eduardo Kingman was one of Ecuador's greatest artists of the 20th century, among the art circles of other master artists such as Oswaldo Guayasamin and Camilo Egas....
, and Gonzalo Endara Crow
Gonzalo Endara Crow

Gonzalo Endara Crow was a master Latin American painter. From an early age he was very interested in art and as a young man he studied painting at the Central University of Ecuador in Quito....
. Otavaleños
Otavalo

Otavalo is a largely Indigenous peoples in Ecuador town in the Imbabura Province of Ecuador. The town, which is in a valley, is surrounded by the peaks of Imbabura Volcano 4,610m, Cotacachi Volcano 4,995m, and Mojanda volcanoes....
 sell traditional sweaters, ponchos, carpets, and jewelry.

La Alameda
The long triangular La Alameda is located at the beginning of street Guayaquil, where the historic centre begins. It has an impressive monument of Simón Bolivar at the apex. There are several other interesting monuments in this park. In the centre of the park is the Quito Observatory, which was opened by President García Moreno in 1864 and is the oldest observatory in Latin America. It is used for both meteorology and astronomy. At the north end of the park are two ornamental lakes, where rowboats can be rented.

TeleferiQo

The Aerial tramway Station at Cruz Loma (part of the Pichincha mountain complex at about . Since July 2005, Quito has had an aerial tramway
Aerial tramway

An aerial tramway is a type of aerial lift in which a cabin is suspended from a Wire rope and is pulled by another cable.An aerial tramway is often called a cable car or ropeway, and sometimes incorrectly referred to as a gondola lift ....
, known as the "", from the city centre to the hill known as Cruz Loma on the east side of the Pichincha volcano. The ride takes visitors to an altitude of about 13,400 ft (more than 4,100 m) where they find a number of restaurants, coffee shops, and a variety of stores. There are also trails for hiking and areas where pictures can be taken of Quito. Because of the increased altitude and the wind on the mountain, it is considerably cooler.

Besides the aerial tramway to Cruz Loma, the Telefériqo
TelefériQo

El Telef?riQo is a Gondola lift in Quito, Ecuador, running from the edge of the city centre up the east side of Pichincha Volcano to a lookout known as Cruz Loma....
 as a whole is a visitor centre that includes an amusement park (Vulqano Park
Vulqano Park

Vulqano Park is an amusement park in Quito, Ecuador. The park is part of a much larger entertainment complex named the Telef?riQo....
), fine-dining restaurants, Go Karts, Paint Ball, shopping malls, an extensive food court, and other attractions.

Outside the city

La Mitad del Mundo
Mitad del Mundo

The Mitad del Mundo is a tract of land owned by the prefecture of the province of Pichincha Province, Ecuador. It is located in the San Antonio parish of the Quito , north of the center of Quito....
  (the middle of the world) is a small village administered by the prefecture of the province of Pichincha, 22 mi (35 km) north of Quito. The village features a large monument, built on the site where the equator was thought to have crossed in the early 1980s. There is also a museum that contains a model of Quito, a planetarium, various exhibits, several restaurants, an open arena that is occasionally used for folkloric-dance performances, and a small chapel where couples can marry with one spouse standing in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern [it has since been determined that the actual equator is some 200 meters north of the monument area].

Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve
Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve

Reserva Geobot?nica Pululahua is a protected area around Pululuhua Volcano in the north of Quito Canton, Pichincha Province, Ecuador. It is 17 km north of Quito....
, located a few miles northwest from La Mitad del Mundo, contains the Pululahua volcano, whose caldera
Caldera

A caldera is a cauldron-like volcano feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption such as the one at Yellowstone National Park....
 (crater) is visible from a spot easily accessible by car. It is believed to be one of only a few in the world with human inhabitants.

Quito Zoo , located near the rural parish of Guayllabamba
Guayllabamba

Guayllabamba is a small agricultural town located 29 kilometers northeast of the city of Quito in northern Ecuador. In the Ecuadorian national census of November 24, 2001, the parish had a population of 12,227 ....
, about 12 mi (20 km) outside Quito, has the biggest collection of native fauna in Ecuador, including several kinds of animals that are sometimes targeted in Ecuador in the illegal fur trade.

Some of the other nearby natural attractions are:
  • Antisana
    Antisana

    Antisana is a stratovolcano of the northern Andes, in Ecuador. It is the fourth highest volcano in Ecuador, at 18,871 ft. , and is located 50 km SE of the capital city of Quito....
     Ecological Reserve
  • Cayambe
    Cayambe (volcano)

    Cayambe is the name of a volcano located in the Cordillera Oriental , a branch of the Ecuadorian Andes. It is located in Pichincha Province province some 70 km northeast of Quito....
     - Coca Ecological Reserve
    • Papallacta & Oyacachi thermal springs
  • Cotopaxi
    Cotopaxi

    Cotopaxi is a stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located about 75 kilometres south of Quito, Ecuador, South America. It is the second highest summit in the country, reaching a height of 5,897 m ...
     National Park
  • Mindo
    Mindo Ecuador

    Mindo is a parish in the Ecuador Canton of Los Bancos in Pichincha Province, Ecuador, 84 km west of Quito, with a rapidly growing tourist industry based on Ecotourism in the Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest....
     Nambillo cloud forest
  • Illiniza
    Illiniza

    Illiniza is a stratovolcano in Ecuador, located about southwest of Quito. Illiniza, a dormant volcano stratovolcano, consists of two snow covered peaks: Illiniza Sur and Illiniza Norte ....
     volcano
  • Pasochoa
    Pasochoa

    Pasochoa is an extinct volcano located in the Guayllabamba river basin in the Ecuadorean Andes. The current mountain form is a collapsed crater with a semicircular shape....
     Wildlife Refuge
  • Pichincha (Rucu & Guagua) volcanoes


Education


Universities

According to the National Council for Higher Education of Ecuador (), here is a list of universities founded before the year 2006 in or around Quito:
University Foundation Date
29/11/1995
Escuela Politécnica Nacional 27/08/1869
16/12/1974
20/06/1972
04/11/1946
15/01/2001
27/01/1992
07/07/1999
18/03/1826
Universidad Cristiana Latinoamericana 31/03/2000
31/03/2000
29/11/1995
20/05/2004
30/12/2005
05/08/2004
30/08/1996
17/11/2005
30/06/1993
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Universidad San Francisco de Quito is a private university founded in 1987 and legally existing beneath the umbrella organization "Corporaci?n de Promoci?n Universitario " ....
 25/10/1987
20/08/1997
18/02/1986
16/11/1999
Universitas Equatorialis 24/12/2002


Sports


Professional football teams

Quito is the home city of six prominent football clubs in Ecuador. Domestically, the city's top three club (El Nacional, Deportivo Quito and LDU Quito) have won a combined 26 national championships, which accounts for over half of all championships won.

The teams in Ecuador's First Division (Serie A and Serie B) are:
  • Club Deportivo El Nacional
    Club Deportivo El Nacional

    Club Deportivo El Nacional is a sports club from Quito, Ecuador that is best known for its professional football team. El Nacional belongs to the Ecuadorian military and maintained a traditional of having only Ecuadorian players on their team....
  • Club Deportivo ESPOLI
    Club Deportivo ESPOLI

    Club Deportivo ESPOLI is a professional Association football team from Quito, Ecuador that plays in the Serie A de Ecuador, the top level of professional football in country....
  • Club Deportivo Universidad Católica del Ecuador
    Club Deportivo Universidad Católica del Ecuador

    Club Deportivo Universidad Cat?lica del Ecuador is a Football club based in Quito, Ecuador. It is currently is playing in the top level of Ecuadorian football, Campeonato Ecuatoriano de F?tbol Primera A....
  • Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito
  • Sociedad Deportiva Aucas
    Sociedad Deportiva Aucas

    Sociedad Deportiva Aucas is a football club from the city of Quito in northern Ecuador. The team is named after the Huaorani tribe, who are also called Huaorani, because it originally belonged to Royal Dutch Shell, which had been operating oil fields in the east of Ecuador where the Aucas live....
  • Sociedad Deportivo Quito
    Sociedad Deportivo Quito

    Sociedad Deportivo Quito is a Association football club based in Quito, Ecuador. Deportivo Quito plays in Serie A de Ecuador, Ecuador's premier football league....


Sister cities

Quito has ten sister cities
Town twinning

Town twinning, also known as sister cities, is a concept whereby towns or city in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired, with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links between their inhabitants....
:
  • Madrid
    Madrid

    Madrid is the Capital and largest city of Spain. It is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits in the European Union after Greater London and Berlin, and its Madrid metropolitan area is the Largest urban areas of the European Union in the European Union after Paris aire urbaine, Greater London Urban Area, a...
    , Spain
    Spain

    Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
  • Buenos Aires
    Buenos Aires

    Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southern shore of the R?o de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent....
    , Argentina
    Argentina

    Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
  • Bogota
    Bogotá

    Bogot? ? officially named Bogot?, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogot? ? is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants ....
    , Colombia
    Colombia

    Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  • Managua
    Managua

    Managua is the Capital city of Nicaragua as well as the Managua and Managua, Managua by the same name. It is also the largest city in Nicaragua....
    , Nicaragua
    Nicaragua

    Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democracy republic. It is the largest state in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, about the size of the state of New York....
  • Louisville
    Louisville, Kentucky

    Louisville is Kentucky's largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Kentucky. The city's estimated population as of 2006 is listed as 557,789, with a population of 1,233,733 in the Louisville-Jefferson County, KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area....
     (Kentucky
    Kentucky

    The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
    , USA)
  • Coral Gables (Florida
    Florida

    Florida is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the northeast....
    , USA)
  • Toronto
    Toronto

    Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
     (Ontario
    Ontario

    Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
    )
  • Buxton
    Buxton

    Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"....
    , (England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
    , United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
    )
  • Santo Domingo
    Santo Domingo

    Santo Domingo, or in full, Santo Domingo de Guzm?n, is the Capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic, and the second largest city in the Caribbean....
    , (Dominican Republic
    Dominican Republic

    The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are List of divided islands, Saint Martin being the other....
    )
  • Kraków
    Kraków

    Krak?w , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow , is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland, with a population of 756,336 in 2007 ....
    , Poland
    Poland

    Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....


See also

  • Ecuador
    Ecuador

    Ecuador , officially the , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west....
  • Guayaquil
    Guayaquil

    Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is located on the western bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil....
  • Cuenca
    Cuenca, Ecuador

    Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador in terms of population, and is the capital of the Azuay Province, Ecuador. It is located in the Sierra, the highlands of Ecuador at about 2500m above sea level....
  • El Panecillo
    El Panecillo

    El Panecillo is a 200-meter-high volcanic-origin hill with loess soil, between southern and central Quito. Its peak is at an elevation of 3016 meters above sea level....
  • Mitad del Mundo
    Mitad del Mundo

    The Mitad del Mundo is a tract of land owned by the prefecture of the province of Pichincha Province, Ecuador. It is located in the San Antonio parish of the Quito , north of the center of Quito....
  • World66:Quito
  • Wikitravel:Quito
  • Charles Marie de La Condamine
    Charles Marie de La Condamine

    Charles Marie de La Condamine was a France explorer, geographer, and mathematician.La Condamine was born in Paris. He was trained for the military profession, but turned his attention to science and geographical exploration....
  • Cuarenta
    Cuarenta

    Cuarenta is the national card game of Ecuador. It is a fishing game played with a Baraja , a pack of 40 Spanish playing cards. The game can also be played with the standard 52 card pack of Anglo-American playing cards, but all 10s, 9s and 8s are omitted ....
  • List of Latin American artists
    List of Latin American artists

    A list of Latin American visual artists , arranged by nationality:...


External links