San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains. With a population of 1,397,698 according to the last census (2001), and, as estimated by the municipality, approximately 1,504,991 in 2005, Quito is the second most populous city in Ecuador, after Guayaquil. It is also the capital of the Pichincha province and the seat of Metropolitan District of Quito. The canton recorded a population of 1,842,201 residents in the 2001 national census. In 2008 the city was designated as the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations.

Guayaquil is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, with around 2.69 million people in the metropolitan area, as well as the nation's main port. It is one of the main South American ports in the Pacific. The climate is hot for the first semester of the year and breeze cool for the rest of it. A proud city of the tropics where foreigners are well received, music rules and seafood is a must. In the last decade, the city has undergone positive change. The beautiful riverfront promenade "Malecon 2000", green areas and modern shopping arcades all over the city attracts tourism from inside and outside the country.