Across the equator in Ecuador

I’ve been crossing the equator several times before, but I’ve never actually stood on it until now. Of course it’s big business here in Ecuador, with even the Spanish word “ecuador” meaning “equator”.

The equator is situated a bit north of the capital Quito. It has been marked by a bright yellow line and to make sure that nobody will miss it, a large stone monument has been placed there.

Monument on “yellow” equator.

However, it would appear that the painted yellow line happily straddled by tourists is actually off by a few hundred meters, a fact easily proved in the modern age of the GPS. But this was a bit embarrassing after they had built the large monument, so the correct equator is considerably less displayed, even somewhat hidden behind a large wall.

The geographically correct equator.

After a short but dusty walk along the road I located the real equator, painted in red, hidden away a little bit north of the official monument.

But don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret.