Ecuador's Equator

The equator is something I have not thought about since childhood. As a child, it was pretty important. It was this magical line that got the prime location on the globe. Sometimes it was dotted or a different color than the rest of the globe.

The equator was cool.

In the schoolyard it would occasionally be the subject of urban legend. We believed that it was so hot there that people would "spontaneously combust."

Spontaneous combustion was our second favorite topic.

Somehow as an adult the equator seems less important.

Not to Ecuadorians.

I don't know that they are called Ecuadorians. In fact I doubt it. Still, I don't feel like doing the research.

Ecuador means equator. So, it's no surprise that it runs right through their country. They like the equator so much they made a monument to it.

The equator is located at latitude of 0. I bet lots of Ecuadorians drive there and think their GPS is broken.

As you would have guessed people go there all day and put one foot on each side of the equator and then say: "Look Ma! I'm on both sides of the equator!" Then Ma probably screams back: "I done have bigger fish to fry, Sonny! Our GPS is broken!"

If a yellow line is not enough to make you want to visit, they have something even better. A big ol' building that looks like a monument. It's sorta like their Statue of Liberty only they didn't get it from the stinkin' French.

Inside they memorialize many of the great Ecuadorians in history. They also have a gift shop.

I hope terrorist never try to destroy this site. Wouldn't be too hard. They could just take a few buckets of yellow paint and paint dozens of other lines all around the equator. We would all be so confused and unable to find the real one anymore.

Of course we could use our GPS. Too bad it's broken.