> Which capital city is closest to the equator?And the answer: Quito.Located just 25 kilometers south of the equator, Quito is the capital of Ecuador(which gets its name from "equator"). Quito is also the oldest South Americancapital, and the second highest capital city in the world.Image credit: Maphill[http://www.maphill.com/ecuador/pichincha/quito/location-maps/gray-map/].Quitois a scenic and historic city with a rich and diverse culture. Named for theQuitus tribe that occupied the area in first millennium, Quito is widelybelieved to be one of the oldest (if not the oldest) continuously inhabitedsettlement in South America. The Kingdom of Quito was officially founded in 980BCE by the Cara or the Schyris people, who came in from the coast to lay claimto the land. By the time the Spanish had conquered the region in 1541, Incaninfluence had created a massive, bustling city out of Quito. It's rumored thatthe Spanish chose Quito as the site for their capital because they sought buriedIncan treasure said to lie beneath the city.Photo credit: LonelyPlanet [https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ecuador/quito].TheSpanish capitalized on the infrastructure created by the Incans and added to it,with countless buildings in colonial styles throughout their new imperialacquisition. The Spanish went on to rule the city for over 300 years, untilQuito finally gained independence in 1822 with the help of Simón Bolívar[https://www.biography.com/political-figure/simon-bolivar]. Quito lays claim to a number of geological and architectural wonders. The citywas named the first UNESCO World Heritage City due to its extensive andwell-preserved history of Spanish America, and also takes first place as theworld's highest constitutional capital. Today the city is a bustling andgorgeous intersection of history and culture, and due to its proximity to theequator, enjoys some of the most sunlight of any capital city in the world.Learn more about Quito here [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/2/].