Mitad del Mundo – Equator Museum

From Quito you will head towards the equator line that is located 26 km north from Quito’s city center. When you arrive at the City of the Middle of the World, the impressive equator monument will immediately catch your eye. The placement of the equatorial line and the later constructed monument was defined throughout an expedition in 1736 called the French Geodesic Mission. However, recent studies brought to light that the French had been wrong about the exact coordinates where the line passed through. Instead of the Middle of the World complex, you will visit the outdoor equator museum that is located on the real equator, about 240 meters away. In the museum you will learn about ancient cultures and their knowledge about their location in the world and sense of time. You will also undergo some fun experiments that explain the scientific effects of being on the equator. If you bring your passport, you can let it stamped with an equator stamp inside the museum. Afterwards you will head back to Quito.