This is Mitad del Mundo. It is called the "middle of the world” because it is located on the 0 degree latitude line that circles the earth. This line is called the EQUATOR. Do you think they named the country of Ecuador after the equator? Do you see the yellow line passing through my brain? It gave me such a headache. See if you can find Mitad del Mundo on a map. I live a few miles south of there in the ancient city of Quito.

The natives here were the first to grow corn and the first to make pottery in America. They were conquered by a great tribe called the INCAS. Soon after that the Incas were conquered by soldiers from Spain. That is why everyone here speaks Spanish.

We are in a valley in the mountains called the ANDES. Do you remember learning to ski in the Rocky Mountains? Our altitude is very high. That means we live near the clouds. Sometimes I climb an old volcano and then I am above the clouds. It is kind of like being in an airplane except you are standing on the ground. It makes my ears go pop. Is that why you call me Popop?

Below is a picture I took above the clouds in a country called Guatemala. It is in Central America. See if you can find Ecuador and Guatemala on a map.

Puesta del Sol, Playa de Canoa, Ecuador Pacific Ocean near O degrees latitude

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