Nicknames for Quito include the City of the Heavens and Florence of the Americas. It is South America’s oldest capital city, founded on December 6, 1534.
Elevated 9,350 feet (2,850 meters) above sea level, Quito is both the world’s highest national capital and the country capital closest to the equator.
Quito is also located close to two active volcanoes, Pinchincha Volcano and Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi last erupted for a duration lasting from August 2015 to January 2016.
Ecuador ranks as the 70th top export nation, shipping an estimated US$22.3 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. The most valuable Ecuadorian exports include crude oil (34.6% of Ecuador’s global total), crustaceans (17.5%), bananas including plantains (14.8%), prepared or preserved fish and caviar (5.3%), refined petroleum oils (4.2%), cut flowers and bouquet buds (3.9%), cocoa beans (2.9%), gold (0.9%), frozen vegetables (0.7%) and sawn wood (0.6%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Quito, Ecuador: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Iglesia de La Compania de Jesus, Palacio de Gobierno, Basilica and Plaza de San Francisco
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Quito, Ecuador.
- Sebastián Cordero, film director & screenwriter (born May 23, 1972)
- Diego Serrano, actor (born Feb. 5, 1973)
- Constanza Baez, model & Miss Universe contestant (born Jan. 4, 1991)
- Steve Saint, entrepreneur, pilot & author (born Jan. 30, 1951)
- Cristhian Criollo, Live.me broadcaster (born Apr. 29, 1995)
- Gabriela Villalba, actress & singer (born Sep. 20, 1984)
- Bratt Murgueitio, social media star (born Apr. 3, 1985)
- Liliana Castro, actress (born Jun. 29, 1979)
- Simon Brauer, cinematographer (born Jun. 22, 1973)
- Oswaldo Guayasamin, artist (born Jul. 6, 1919)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Quito resident: Quiteño (male), Quiteña (female)
Population: 2,011,388 (Quito) in 2020
Density: 14,000 people per square mile (5,400 per square kilometer)
Population: 17,650,000 (Ecuador) at July 9, 2020
Density: 184 people per square mile (71 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Ecuador: 27.9 years old
Financial
GDP: US$202.8 billion 2019 (Ecuador)
GDP per person: $11,743
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Quito were unavailable.
Official currency used in Quito: U.S. dollar (since year 2000)
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, South America: Ecuador.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Official Government Website, Quito.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Uruguay.
Wikipedia, Quito.
Wikipedia, Quito Canton.
WorldOMeter, Ecuador Population.
Quito won its freedom from Spain on August 10, 1809. Residents celebrate Independence Day each August 10.
Ecuador’s capital city covers a land area measuring 143.78 square miles (372.39 square kilometers). Quito had about 2 million residents in 2020.
At the country level, Ecuador had a population count of 17.7 million inhabitants living over a land territory of 95,892 square miles (248,360 square kilometers) as of July 2020.
Population density is much more concentrated within Ecuador’s capital city with an average 14,000 residents per square mile (5,400 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Ecuador’s national land boundaries, population density thins out to an average 184 people per square mile (71 per square kilometer).
