The Middle of the World

No trip to Ecuador is complete without visiting Mitad del Mundo, the middle of the world, (the Equator). There are actually two spots to visit. The first is now developing into a small tourist village. There is a monument marking the Equator separating the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Tourists flock to have their photos taken straddling the line so they are in two hemispheres at the same time. 

Ahh, the typical tourist...Northern and Southern Hemisphere,....or is it?

Ahh, the typical tourist...Northern and Southern Hemisphere,....or is it?

Unfortunately, this is not actually the Equator. This one is about 240 meters north of the Equator. The original monument was built in 1936 when the measuring methods were not as accurate. This current monument was built in 1979 when they knew it was not placed accurately. The park here is also being built up even more. I've read they plan to fix the error. In the meantime, you can exit this park area and walk a couple of hundred meters to the south to a small outdoor museum where there is a sign boasting the real equator as calculated by GPS. Of course, you have to pay again.

The outdoor museum entrance fee includes a guide that takes you around providing information about the indigenous people of the area and the Equator. They also conduct little experiments that show unique features of the location. Most of us know that when the water goes down the drain, it circles to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere water circles to the left. On the Equator, water just drops down. My favorite Equator fact was that you weigh less on the Equator perhaps about a pound due to centrifugal force and being on the largest part of the Earth. We were also able to balance an egg on the end of a nail due to different gravitational forces. I was able to do this and earned a nice diploma too. 

We really enjoyed the outdoor museum. It was smaller and personal. It was also incredibly sunny and dusty. We were high in elevation and if it's a clear day on the Equator, you really need to be careful with the sun. We decided to head back for lunch and skip the traditional meal of roasted guinea pig featured at a local restaurant. 

Yes, it's a touristy spot, but sort of a must see, especially since we were traveling with children. There were some neat experiments and we enjoyed the outdoor guided museum. 

image.jpg
In