Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, is located at 2850m above sea level and is therefore the highest official capital of the world. Despite several earthquakes, the historical city center of Quito is considered the best preserved historic center in South America. Beautiful examples of the Barroque School of Quito can be found all over the city, such as the monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo. Therefore, it was announced a World Heritage site back in 1987, one of the first cities to receive that title.
Quito is the second largest city in Ecuador (second to Guayaquil), being home to around 2.6 million inhabitants.