Flight: Tel Aviv, Madrid, Quito

Ecuador has four completely different regions: Costa (coast), Sierra (mountains), Oriente (Amazon) and Insular (Galápagos). They are only a few hours' travel from each other.

"Ecuador" means "the Equator" in Spanish. The name was chosen in 1830 because it was neutral. The name "Quito" might have suggested that the capital was more important than the rest.

Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador, is the point on Earth farthest from the center of the planet. This is because the Earth is wider at the Equator.