Quito, city in northern Ecuador, capital of Ecuador and of Pichincha Province. The city is picturesquely situated on the lower slopes of Pichincha volcano in a narrow, fertile valley of the Andes Mountains at an elevation of 2850 m (9350 ft) above sea level. Because of its elevation it has a pleasant, moderate climate despite being just south of the equator.

Quito makes a good starting point for many day-long excursions into the lush surrounding Andean Sierra. By hiring a car, taking a tour or using public transport or taxis, there are several popular trips into a region crowded with mountain views, waterfalls, thermal baths , and a peaceful villages. Buses to the Equatorial Line Monument, leave every half-hour from the market place, or you can pick them up on the Avenida America in the new town.
The sensation of being in the middle of the world, and to take a photograph on the line of latitude 0 0' 00", stepping over both hemispheres of the earth, admiring the impressive 30 meter high monument, built in commemoration of the French geodesic mission that arrived in 1736, to measure an arch and to verify the roundness of the earth, is an undescribable emotion.