Only two months ago, I was in Ecuador on a five-day, five-night mini-vacation. This was right before we were all locked down in place with the coronavirus pandemic. It seems like two years ago at this point,
This is the Mitad Del Mundo monument, the "Middle of the World." This marks the point where, in 1736, using the best technology of the day, the Geodesic Mission of the French Academy of Sciences determined to be the precise location of the equator. They were off by about 240 meters. I am not criticizing the French team by being off by 240 meters. Quite the contrary. I think it is absolutely amazing that using technology from the early 18th Century that they were able to measure it that close.
The current Mitad Del Mundo monument was built in 1982. It replaced a much smaller version of the same design that had been erected in 1936.
Visited March 2020.
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