San Francisco de Quito

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
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Luz de América (Light of America), Carita de Dios (God's Face), Ciudad de los Cielos (City of the heavens)
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	32 urban parishes Argelia, La Belisario Quevedo Carcelén Centro Histórico Chilibulo Chillogallo Chimbacalle Cochapamba Comité del Pueblo Concepción, La Condado, El Cotocollao Ecuatoriana, La Ferroviaria, La Guamaní Inca, El Iñaquito Itchimbía Jipijapa Kennedy Libertad, La Magdalena Mariscal Sucre Mena, La Ponceano Puengasí Quitumbe Rumipamba San Bartolo San Juan Solanda Turubamba Gebze Istasyon
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
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.