The Ecuadorian volcano known for its near-perfect cone and great height is Cotopaxi. Rising to about 5,897 meters in the Andes, it is Ecuador’s second-highest summit and one of the world’s highest active volcanoes.
Cotopaxi is a glacier-covered stratovolcano in Cotopaxi National Park, about 50 kilometers south of Quito. Its unusually symmetrical profile comes from repeated layers of lava, ash, and other volcanic material building a steep cone over time. A glacier begins around 5,000 meters, feeding streams and creating a serious lahar hazard during eruptions.
The volcano has erupted repeatedly in recorded history, with major historical eruptions in 1742, 1744, 1768, and 1877. Its name is often explained through Andean languages as relating to the “neck of the moon,” referring to the crater’s appearance. Chimborazo is higher than Cotopaxi, but it is not the answer: the question’s clues about an active, symmetrical cone point specifically to Cotopaxi.