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Quito, Ecuador

Quito
Capital city
San Francisco de Quito
Clockwise from top: Calle La Ronda, Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, El Panecillo as seen from Northern Quito, Carondelet Palace, Central-Northern Quito, Parque La Carolina   and Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco
Clockwise from top: Calle La Ronda, Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, El Panecillo as seen from Northern Quito, Carondelet Palace, Central-Northern Quito, Parque La Carolina and Iglesia y Monasterio de San Francisco
Flag of Quito
Flag
Official seal of Quito
Seal
Nickname(s): Luz de América (Light of America), Carita de Dios (God's Face), Ciudad de los Cielos (City of the heavens)
Quito is located in Ecuador
Quito
Quito
Location of Quito within Ecuador
Coordinates: 00°14′S 78°31′W / 0.233°S 78.517°W / -0.233; -78.517Coordinates: 00°14′S 78°31′W / 0.233°S 78.517°W / -0.233; -78.517
Country Ecuador
Province Pichincha
Canton Quito
Foundation December 6, 1534
Founded by Sebastián de Belalcázar
Named for Quitu
Urban parishes
Government
 • Type Mayor and council
 • Governing body Municipality of Quito
 • Mayor Mauricio Rodas Espinel
Areaapprox.
 • Capital city 372.39 km2 (143.78 sq mi)
 • Water 0 km2 (0 sq mi)
 • Metro 4,217.95 km2 (1,628.56 sq mi)
Elevation 2,850 m (9,350 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Capital city 2,671,191
 • Density 7,200/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
 • Metro 4,700,000
 • Metro density 1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
 • Demonym Quiteño(-a)
Time zone ECT (UTC-5)
Postal code EC1701 (new format), P01 (old format)
Area code(s) (0)2
Climate Cfb
Website www.quito.gob.ec
UNESCO World Heritage Site
City of Quito
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Quito Centro Histórico.JPG
Location Ecuador
Type Cultural
Criteria ii, iv
Reference 2
UNESCO region Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription 1978 (2nd Session)

Quito (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkito]) (Quechua: Kitu; Aymara: Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador, and at an elevation of 2,850 metres (9,350 ft) above sea level, it is the highest official capital city in the world and the one which is closest to the equator. It is located in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains. With a population of 2,671,191 according to the last census (2014), Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil. It is also the capital of the Pichincha province and the seat of the Metropolitan District of Quito. The canton recorded a population of 2,239,191 residents in the 2010 national census. In 2008, the city was designated as the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations.

The historic center of Quito has one of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas. Quito and Kraków, Poland, were the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO, in 1978. The central square of Quito is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the equator; the city itself extends to within about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of zero latitude. A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator is known locally as la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world), to avoid confusion, as the word ecuador is Spanish for equator.


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