The Equator is the line of latitude that passes through Ecuador and gives the country its name.
The Equator is an imaginary circle around Earth at 0 degrees latitude. It divides the planet into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere and is the largest circle of latitude, measuring roughly 40,075 kilometres around Earth’s surface.
Ecuador’s official name, República del Ecuador, means “Republic of the Equator.” The line crosses northern South America, including Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil, and continues through parts of Africa and maritime Southeast Asia. In Ecuador, well-known sites near the Equator include the Mitad del Mundo monument and the Cayambe volcano, whose summit is crossed by the line.
The Equator is not the same as the Prime Meridian. The Equator measures distance north or south of Earth’s middle, while the Prime Meridian is the reference line for east-west longitude and runs through Greenwich, England. Earth’s equatorial bulge results from the planet’s rotation.