Quito (pronounced key-toe) is the capital city of Ecuador located in the Guayllabamba River Basin on the eastern slopes of the Pichincha volcano in the Andes Mountains. It derives its name from the Quitus people, who inhabited the region before the Spanish conquest. In 1533 Sebastian Benalcazar took possession of the native town, which had been a successful capital of the Seyris and the Incas, and in 1541 it officially became a Spanish city.
The population of Quito is 2,671,191 million, as of the latest census in 2014. It was the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1978, and is located on the la mitad del mundo – the middle of the world.
One of the most notable features about this area, which stands out to us low-land Alaskans, is the fact that the elevation is 2,850 meters high, which is 9,350 feet. Oxygen is available in the air but at a different percentage than we are used to, so as we climbed the tenth or so step we found out that that was a good time for a little breather. I always seemed to find something to stop and take a photograph of during our hikes around old town. "Just taking photos honey, I'm not catching my breath"!
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