03-Mar-2000 -- I visited this place in my holiday trip round Ecuador. This is dignified with the “Middle of the World” name, though this is the ordinary point on equator with non-round longitude 78 deg 27 min W. It is located at a height of 2483 meters (Andes nevertheless) just in 25 km northward of the capital of Ecuador, Quito. Numerous bus tours conducted here every day.

The place is known for its huge 40-meter monument with the globe on the top lying on his equator. Inside the monument situated the elevator and 7-floor Ethnographic Museum which shows the different Native American groups living in Ecuador. Beside the monument there is a colonial-style town, complete with main square, church, post office, bullring, restaurants and many gift shops with souvenirs.

I got the Geographic Explorer Diploma there as really been at the equator. Later I managed to get a couple of such certificates as far as only lazy don’t crossing the equator in Ecuador several times.

The greatest pleasure which I got of visiting this place was the possibility staying direct in both hemispheres simultaneously.