Mejía is a
canton in the province of
Pichincha in northern
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...
.
[, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency] It is named after Ecuadorian political figure José Mejía Lequerica. The canton includes a volcano in the Central Cordillera of the Ecuadorian
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
called
Rumiñahui. The seat of the canton is called
Machachi.
Machachi is located to the south of the capital of Ecuador,
Quito
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, Pichincha ...
. It is a very beautiful city surrounded by the volcanos
Atacazo
Atacazo is a volcano of the Western Cordillera located 25 kilometers southwest of Quito, Ecuador. Atacazo is a stratovolcano formed by the action of a Late-Pleistocene to Holocene caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that ...
,
Corazon,
Rumiñahui,
Illinizas peaks,
Viudita hill,
Pasochoa
Pasochoa (4,200 metres) is an extinct volcano located in the Guayllabamba river basin in the Ecuadorian Andes. The current mountain form is a collapsed crater with a semicircular shape. This structure emerged approximately 100 thousand years ag ...
,
Sincholagua and is also owns part of the
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi () is an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains, located in Latacunga city of Cotopaxi Province, about south of Quito, and northeast of the city of Latacunga, Ecuador. It is the second highest summit in Ecuador, reaching a heig ...
volcano, a great active volcano which measures 5,897 m (19,347 ft) in altitude. The valley contains 8 volcanoes, the reasons why Alexander von Humboldt named the region Avenue of Volcanoes.
In the Panzaleo language, Machachi means "Great active land." Machachi is the cradle of many slopes, and the same ground is a perennial thermal and mineral water outcrop. In the fertile valleys of San Pedro there are approximately 22 sources of chemicals which have invaluable theurapeutical properties.
Machachi has a similar temperature to Quito, fluctuating from 19°C (66°F) average high to 10°C (50°F) average low. These averages are for the whole year with the dry months being June, July and August.
See also
*
Cotopaxi National Park
Cotopaxi National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Cotopaxi) is a protected area in Ecuador situated in the Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province and Pichincha Province, roughly south of Quito
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the c ...
*
Illinizas Ecological Reserve
*
Pasochoa Wildlife Refuge
References
Cantons of Pichincha Province
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