Quito, Ecuador and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito
The City of Quito
Quito, formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador and is located in the Guayllabamba river basin on the eastern slopes of Pichincha. High in the Andes, the greenery is hidden by gray afternoon mist. It is the second most populous city in Ecuador with a population of around 2.6 million. The central part of the city is the 'Old Town', a Unesco World Heritage Site that is full of pulsating life, colonial monuments and architectural treasures. Quito has a fairly cool climate with the average temperature being 65.7 °F at noon and 48.7 °F during the night. Something that is hard not to marvel at is the El Panecillo, which has a monument to the Virgin Mary right on top of the hill. It is visible to most of Quito and sits about 9,895 feet above sea level.
Quito has many natural attractions as well such as:
- Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve
- Quito Zoo
- Maquipucana Reserve
- Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve
- Cayambe
- Cotopaxi
- Mindo
- Illiniza volcano
- Pasochoa Wildlife Refuge
- Pichincha volcano
The Universidad San Francisco de Quito
La Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ fue fundada en 1988 por Santiago Gangotena a través de la Corporación de Promoción Universitaria, en respuesta a la necesidad que Ecuador tenÃa de una institución privada de educación superior de alta calidad.
Cultural Activities
There are a few popular parks located in Quito, one of which is La Carolina Park. Within this park is the Ecuadorian Museum of Natural Sciences, The Botanical Garden of Quito, and Park Nautical which contains a stroll in boat pedal or a water bicycle.