Visiting the Equator at Mitad Del Mundo

Visiting the Equator is somewhat of a novel idea and a fun activity to do, but it especially makes sense to do so in Ecuador, which actually translates to equator.

Ecuador's capital city of Quito is one of the highest capital cities in the world, located at 9,350 feet above sea level, and is the closest capital city to the equator.  Ecuador takes great pride in having such a strong claim to the equator and has gone to great lengths to ensure a satisfying experience when visiting this imaginary line.

The Mitad Del Mundo monument is a 100-foot tall building created in dedication to the location of the equator.  Surrounding this monument is somewhat of a small village, filled with shops, food, and even a museum.  All of this was built to celebrate Ecuador's proud relationship with the equator, but what's truly ironic is that this structure and small town were actually constructed about 800 feet off of the actual coordinates of the position of the equator.  While the reasons for the slightly askew monument are a bit unclear, the immense pride of the Ecuadorian people and their love for the equator remains stronger than ever.

Visiting Mitad Del Mundo, or Middle of the World, whether it is the true equatorial location or not, is a cool experience.  From balancing eggs on nail-heads to getting your passport stamped, browsing through the museum and learning about the history of Ecuador, and grabbing some delicious ice cream (remember it's hot at the equator), there is something for everyone!  If standing in two different hemispheres at once really excites you, you do not want to miss this.

If you do want to visit the other equator, just walk a few blocks, roughly four minutes, down the road to Museo Intiñan.  Unfortunately we were not able to enter as we arrived too late, but it look pretty fascinating from the outside.