Quito vs Yoshkar-Ola

Informations

Quito (; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkito] (listen); Quechua: Kitu; formally Saint Francis of Quito) is the capital of Ecuador, the country's most populous city and at an elevation of 2,850 metres (9,350 ft) above sea level, it is the second highest official capital city in the world, and the closest to the equator. It is located in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains. In 2008, the city was designated as the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations.The historic centre of Quito is one of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved in the Americas.

Quito and Kraków, Poland, were the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO, in 1978. The central square of Quito is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the equator; the city itself extends to within about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of zero latitude. A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator is known locally as la mitad del mundo (the middle of the world), to avoid confusion, as the word Ecuador is Spanish for equator.

Source: Wikipedia

Informations

Yoshkar-Ola (Mari and Russian: Йошкар-Ола) is the capital city of the Mari El Republic, Russia. Yoshkar-Ola means red city in Mari and was formerly known as Tsaryovokokshaysk (Царёвококшайск) before 1919, as Krasnokokshaysk (Краснококшайск) between 1919 and 1927 (both after the Malaya Kokshaga River, which runs through the city) and Charla (Чарла) (old Mari).

Yoshkar-Ola was established as a military fortress in 1584, following the Russian conquest of the Mari region. It is currently one of the centers of the Finno-Ugric people and the administrative center of the Yoshkar-Ola city district.

Source: Wikipedia