The image above comes from Pichincha, Ecuador, at a place called Ciudad Mitad del Mundo — literally, Middle of the World City. If you look carefully, you’ll see a yellow-ish line on the walkway at the bottom of the image. That line represents the Equator, making Ciudad Mitad del Mundo a nice little tourist trap where visitors can jump between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere much like Homer Simpson at the American Embassy in Australia. It makes a lot of sense that such an attraction exists; after all, Ecuador translates to “Republic of the Equator,” so there’s an understandable affinity there for the invisible line that runs through the South American nation. And Cuidad Mitad del Mundo is a very nice homage to the geographically unique place upon where it lives. There are well manicured lawns, pristine walkways, and a handful of statues and monuments, too. It’s nearly perfect, given what it is. Except that it’s not actually on the Equator. The error dates back to the late 1730s, when French king Louis XV sent an expedition to Ecuador to determine whether the circumference of the Earth was greater around the planet’s center or around its poles. The mission ultimately concluded, by 1739, that the Earth is shaped … Continue reading Journey to the Not-Quite-Center of the Earth