What is the capital of Ecuador?

The capital of Ecuador is Quito.

Quito, officially San Francisco de Quito, is Ecuador’s national capital and the seat of its central government. The city stretches along the slopes of the Pichincha volcano in the Andes at an elevation of about 2,850 meters, making it one of the world’s highest national capitals. Its long, narrow valley setting is a defining feature of the city.

The Spanish established Quito in 1534 on or near the site of an earlier Indigenous and Inca settlement. After Ecuador separated from Gran Colombia in 1830, Quito became the capital of the new republic. The city also gives its name to the former Spanish Royal Audiencia of Quito, an important colonial administrative region.

Quito is sometimes confused with Guayaquil because Guayaquil is Ecuador’s largest city and principal port. Guayaquil is economically central, but Quito is the political capital. The city’s historic center, noted for colonial churches and plazas, was among the first places inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.