Ola, welcome to Ecuador, a country named after the equator that runs right through it. There are around 18 million people living here, and the capital is Quito, a city perched high in the Andes mountains and famous for having the best-preserved historic center in Latin America. The official language is Spanish, though Kichwa and other indigenous languages are also widely spoken.

Ecuador covers about 256,370 square kilometers (98,985 square miles). To imagine its size, the country is roughly the same size as the state of Colorado in the U.S., or about the same size as the United Kingdom in Europe. Despite its size, it is divided into four distinct worlds: the Amazon jungle, the Andean highlands, the Pacific coast, and the legendary Galápagos Islands.

The most popular sport is Football, but you’ll also see people playing Ecuavóley, a local version of volleyball played with a heavier ball and only three players per team. Their national animal is the Andean Condor, a massive bird that represents power and health, though the Giant Tortoise is also a world-famous icon of the country.

The flag consists of three horizontal stripes of yellow, blue, and red, where the yellow represents the fertility of the land and the sun, the blue stands for the ocean and the clear sky, and the red symbolizes the blood of the heroes who fought for independence.

The food is incredibly varied depending on the region. In the mountains, you must try Locro de Papa, a rich potato and cheese soup served with fresh avocado. On the coast, you’ll find the best Ceviche, often served with crunchy plantain chips called chifles. A unique treat is the Pan de Yuca, a delicious bread made from cassava flour and cheese.

Ecuador is home to the Galápagos Islands, where Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution; it’s a place where you can walk alongside sea lions, blue-footed boobies, and prehistoric-looking iguanas. Back on the mainland, you can visit Mount Chimborazo, which is the point on Earth closest to the sun—because of the Earth’s bulge at the equator, its peak is further from the center of the planet than Mount Everest! The country is also a world leader in Chocolate, with some of the finest “fine aroma” cacao on Earth. If you visit the town of Baños, you can ride “The Swing at the End of the World,” which swings you out over a deep canyon with a view of an active volcano.

From the steaming Amazon basin to the misty cloud forests, Ecuador is a land of vertical extremes and natural wonders. ¡Gracias! That means “Thank you!”