TheRealEquator
Middle of the World City
ENGLISH > Monuments
This monument is found to the north of the capital of Ecuador, the city of Quito, in the valley of San Antonio de Pichincha. This monument that is found in an artificial city, call the Empresa Turística Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, is a State-run establishment. This great monument of stone which replaces another ancient monument that is now found in the town of Cala Calí, to the west of the valley of San Antonio de Pichincha, was never built as the Middle of the World. It was built as to commemorate the 200-year anniversary of the French Geodesic Mission. They came in 1736 to measure three degrees of the Earth’s meridian and in doing so, prove the true shape of the Earth which turned out to be flattened at the poles and elongated along the Equator, confirming the theory of Isaac Newton. This great monument was never built in honor of the Middle of the World, and if the visitor would like to prove that fact, all that is needed is to read the plaques that are found on the sides of the Monument. The visitor can read and be assured that this monument was built in honor of the Geodesic Missions and their French and Spanish members as well as the Ecuadorian Pedro Vicente Maldonado.
If we want to consider the importance of this monument, we must recognize it as it was historically constructed, in honor of the Geodesic Missions and not as the Middle of the World. It is true that it is known as such, but it was never constructed with this purpose. For this reason, a great confusion exists where the victims are not only the tourists who visit this establishment of the State, but also our identity. Especially since our name, Ecuador, is in the middle of this confusing exposition.
On the other hand, despite the possibility that there was an attempt to build this monument on the equatorial line, it is not found there. The error is 7.7 seconds to the south which results in about 244 meters of deviation towards the south of the true Middle of the World.
It is necessary to clear up this error and confusion since currently the majority of tourists that travel with their own GPS equipment, such as is found in watches and cellular telephones, and including tourists who visit first through programs like Google Earth can prove all of these errors and confusions turning the site into a mockery in the whole world. For example, if we navigate by internet we will find thousands of pages that mock this monument that was never built with the objective of being the Middle of the World.
Google Earth Image: The Monument of the Middle of the World City is 7.7 seconds to the south.
Let’s hope that some day the Ecuadorian State will be sufficiently aware of this error to straighten out this absurd controversy and expose with honesty the truth about this sad confusion.
Links
Ciudad Mitad del Mundo
Ecuador's two equators more than double a tourist's fun
Fake equator
La Mitad del Mundo and Inti Nan Museum at Ecuador's Equator
Louby Lou's travels round the world!! by Louise Austin
Where the hell is Bob?
Where the hell is Bob?
Where the hell is Bob?
Where the hell is Bob?
Beau sketching the statue at the fake middle of the world
the fake middle of the world
Journey to the Centre of the World