Quito Ecuador

Description: Quito, officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes. Quito’s elevation of 2,850 m (9,350 ft) makes it either the highest or the second highest capital city in the world. This varied standing is because Bolivia is a country with multiple capitals; if La Paz is considered the Bolivian national capital, it tops the list of highest capitals, but if Sucre is specified as the capital, then it is the second highest, behind Quito.

Population: 2,800,882

Demographics: There are five major ethnic groups in Quito: Mestizo, European, Afroecuadorian, Amerindian, and Montubio. The 2022 census reported Mestizos constitute more than 77.5% of the population, 7.7% Amerindian, 7.7% Montubio, 4.8% Afro-Ecuadorian and 2.2% white.

History: Important vestige of human settlement was found in the current neighborhood of Cotocollao (1500 BC), northwest of Quito. The prehistoric village covered over 26 hectares in an area irrigated by many creeks. Near the ancient rectangular houses, there are burials with pottery and stone offerings. The Cotocollao people extracted and exported obsidian to the coastal region. The priest Juan de Velasco wrote about a Kingdom of Quito. His source was a lost work by Marcos de Niza, the existence of which has not been confirmed. His account said that another people, known as the Cara or the Schyris, came from the coast and took over the entire region by AD 890. He goes on by saying that this kingdom lasted until the Inca took over the territory in the 15th century. The Spanish established Roman Catholicism in Quito. The first church (El Belén) was built before the city was 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 converted the indigenous population to Christianity and used them as labor for construction. In 1743, after nearly 210 years of Spanish colonization, Quito was a city of about 10,000 inhabitants. In 2011 the city’s population was 2,239,191 people. Since 2002 the city has been renewing its historic center. The old airport, built on filling in a lagoon, was closed to air traffic on 19 February 2013. The area was redeveloped as the “Parque Bicentenario” (Bicentenary Park). The new Mariscal Sucre International Airport, 45 minutes from central Quito, opened to air traffic on 20 February 2013.During 2003 and 2004, the bus lines of the Metrobus (Ecovia) were constructed, traversing the city from the north to the south. Many avenues and roads were extended and enlarged, depressed passages were constructed, and roads were restructured geometrically to increase the flow of traffic. A new subway system was opened with one line on 1 December 2023.

Elevation: 2850 m

Climate: Subtropical highland climate. Average annual temperature in Quito is 11 C (52 F), the average for July is 15 C (58 F), the average for January is 9 C (48 F).

Attractions: Old Town, Basilica Del Voto National, Teleferico, Intinan Museum, El Panecillo, La Capilla Del Hombre, Mitad Del Mundo

Airports: Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport UIO

Distance To City Centre: 40 km

Commute Length: 45 min

Average Cost: 45 USD

Traffic Hours: 6:30 am – 9:30 am, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm