Ecuador is considered as one of the most eye-catching countries in the world; as the country lies exactly on the line of the equator which makes it different from the rest of the countries on planet earth. Equator is the imaginary line separating the northern and the southern hemisphere.
Republic of Ecuador commonly known as Ecuador is the country in South America, the only country in the world which is named after a geographical feature “Equator” as Ecuador is derived from Spanish language which means Equator.
QUITO, THE CAPITAL CITY OF ECUADOR:
Quito is the capital city of Ecuador. The most amazing feature about this city is that the equator line actually runs through the capital. Countless tourists, explorers and science students visit the place of Mitad del Mundo in Ecuador just to see this line. Every visitor wants to take his picture at the equator line, having one foot on the north hemisphere while the other foot on the south hemisphere.
At the line of equator, the force of gravity is weaker as compared to the rest of the world which makes a lot of physics laws fail here. For instance, rotation of water, walking comfortably on the line of equator etc.
There are many other interesting and historical buildings in this area which can be explored. This is a must visit place for every tourist who is visiting Ecuador for the first time.
THE CLOSEST COUNTRY TO THE MOON:
Photo by MALITH d KARUNARATHNE on Unsplash
Mount Chimborazo is the only place on the planet earth which is closest to the moon and the sun because at this point, earth is a little taller than the rest of the planet because of the equator. Let’s clear this concept in simple words that our planet is a squashed sphere (an imperfect sphere) not a round one, and peaks close to the Equator get an extra few kilometers and Ecuador is the country situated exactly on the line of equator provides it the tallest peak on planet Earth closest to moon, sun and the outer space. Although from the sea level, Mount Everest is the highest peak but if we measure the earth from the Centre of the Earth, then Mount Chimborazo is the highest peak due to the equator factor.
Photo by JAMES WHEELER Wheeler on Unsplash
As a tourist, photographer, explorer or a filmmaker, you can visit Mount Chimborazo to visualize the closest view of the moon ever. Make sure you plan your visit on dates when you can find the full moon to make it even more memorable.
ACCORDING TO THE AUTHOR LAILA HASSAN ALI FROM SOMALIA:
CLOSEST COUNTRY TO THE SUN:
Courtesy of website: https://57hours.com/review/climbing-chimborazo/
As we already discussed above that Mount Chimborazo is the only place on the planet earth which is closest to the moon and the sun, some people claim that we face some disadvantages of living at the place of earth which is closest to the sun. For instance, getting sun burnt much quickly and living at a place where the level of oxygen is a bit less because of the height but when we look at the benefits of Sunlight at the countries which are nearest to the Equator line, are far more than the disadvantages. Let’s have a look at a few of them.
1. The closer we are to the equator, the more diverse the plants and the animals are found. As the climate near the equator is warm and wet, which provides an ideal atmosphere for the growth of plants.
2. The sunlight provides Vitamin D naturally, which is beneficial for the human body in many ways. It provides us with stronger bones and teeth.
3. Vitamin D again plays an important role in reducing depression and anxiety. The people who live in the region away from the equator line usually do not get much exposure to the sunlight. Therefore, the rate of anxiety and depression is much higher there as compared to the people who are living near the equator.
4. Vitamin D has immunomodulatory effects that help in improving the body’s immune system.
5. Exposure to the sunlight during day time provides peaceful sleep at night as the serotonin we soak from the sun rays during the morning boost our mood which helps us in having restful sleep at night.
THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS:
Few miles away from Ecuador, The Galapagos islands are one of the most attractive places to visit ever. These islands are natural and one of the less visited islands.
Moreover, As the climate near the equator is warm and wet, providing an ideal atmosphere for the growth of plants and animals. This is the reason why we find a more diverse variety of plants, animals and countless more species which are not commonly found in the rest of the planet.
For instance, Sally Lightfoots, Waved Albatross, Blue-Footed Boobies, Frigatebirds, Galapagos Penguin, Lava Lizards, Galapagos Tortoises, Marine iguanas and many more.
ACCORDING TO THE NATIVE A.J FROM ECUADOR:
EXCLUSIVE ECUADORIAN CUISINE:
ENCEBOLLADO:
Encebollado is the best food you can find here. It’s a type of soup with tuna fish, cassava, plantain chips, onion, salt and lemon added at the end. This food can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. It’s a famous food to eat after a bad hangover.
HELADO DE PAILA:
A nation-wide famous sweet dish is none other than “Helado de Paila” which means “pan made ice cream”. As the name of the sweet reveals that ice cream is made on a pan.
The story originated due to the absence of refrigerators in the region in the past, people used to use ice from the mountains themselves. The ice cream was made by a particular way using fruit pulp.
The procedure involves setting a large pot ”The Paila” on top of ice and spinning it quickly while pouring fruit juice inside. With enough spinning, the juice comes into contact with the pan’s cold surface and eventually freezes into a thicker, frozen ice cream.
NOTE: We are thankful to the following for the research work.
https://www.tastingtable.com/947826/helado-de-paila-the-ecuadorian-ice-cream-you-should-know-about/
https://www.goaheadtours.com/travel-blog/articles/9-animals-youll-only-find-in-the-galapagos
https://www.treehugger.com/unique-animals-of-the-galapagos-islands-4869317
https://national-parks.org/ecuador/galapagos
https://57hours.com/review/climbing-chimborazo/
https://www.laylita.com/recipes/encebollado-de-pescado-or-tuna-soup
Nice collection of information just in one sitting… Ecuador is one of the most amazing places to visit.
Nice to see you after a long time. Keep doing good writing work In future too✍