Journey to the Middle of the World

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So, where does the name Ecuador come from? You guessed it; the equator passes right through it!! So, what would be a trip to Ecuador be if you didn’t have the fun of straddling the hemispheric line and hop back and forth from the North to the South??!!

Because I got fogged out from climbing Quito’s big mountain, I decided it would be a good idea to visit the Mitad Del Mundo (the Middle of the World), the spot of Ecuador’s namesake and just north of Quito. In a word, touristy; but it was really fun to jump in and be part of the amusing rumpus. For those of you who remember China’s Window of the World, it had the same sort of feeling to it for some reason. There are loads of places to buy overpriced souvenirs, tour busses, and gimmicks like weighing yourself on the equatorial line or buying a certificate to say you were there. It was quite amusing nonetheless.

Truth be told, it’s not ACTUALLY the equator…😞 The actual line is not that far away (GPS tells us that it’s only about 200m, not bad for the 18th century!!) But, it was the line that the team of French scientists, led by La Condamine, decided on in 1736 when they came to Ecuador, with permission from the King of Spain, to perform calculations and triangulations. Their measurements also gave rise to the metric system! I’m a little unclear how one actually arrives at this conclusion, but it’s something to do with fixed distances in triangles over a large area with the points measured against the stars using sextants and whatnot. There was a museum with a very fascinating history about people who postulated the shape and form of the Earth, including Newton’s theory that the Earth bulges at the centre, which these calculations proved, and his gravitational theory, which means that you weigh less at the equator since you’re farther away from the centre of the Earth (they said up to 10% because of the altitude, but from what I’ve read, it’s only about 0.3%). There was also a miniature of old Quito for some reason, and a display of some Ecuadorian art.

A weird day, really touristy things generally are, but also pretty fun!!

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Photos

One of the Many Entertainments
Of course I had to take a picture of the Marching Band!!

The Busts of the Scientists
They lined the entrance of the monument