Capital Quito
Quito is the capital of Ecuador. The city has a unique location at an altitude of 2850 m. Quito is surrounded by 14 partly active volcanoes on the eastern slope of one of these 14, the Pichincha. The shape of the city is also special, with its 70 km length and only 4 km width it is exceptionally long stretched. The historical center of Quito is, after that of Havana (Cuba), the largest in Latin America. In 1978, the centre was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. With this, Quito, together with Krakow in Poland, became the first city in the world whose centre was placed on this list. The historic centre consists of characteristic white-plastered houses, narrow streets, markets, richly decorated cathedrals and baroque churches surrounding the main central square, the Plaza de Independencia.
The colonial city of Cuenca
Cuenca is located south of Quito, on the Tomebamba River, at an altitude of 2500 meters. At the site of today's Cuenca, at the beginning of the 16th century stood an Inca city called Tomebamba. From the city of Tomebamba only a few wall remains remain on the banks of the river. This colonial gem of the south has narrow cobbled streets, whitewashed buildings with red roof tiles, beautiful squares and churches with domes. In 1999, the city centre was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
