Quito (Kee'to), the capital of Ecuador, and of the province of Pichincha, lies in 0° 14' S. lat., on the east side of the great plateau of Quito, at the foot of the volcano of Pichincha (q.v.), 9351 feet above the sea. Its site is cut up by numerous ravines; but the streets are laid out regularly at right angles, plunging into and scaling the sides of the valleys. In the square stand the cathedral, with its green-tiled dome, the archbishop's palace, the municipal building, and the capitol. Other public buildings are the university, a seminary, an institute of science, an observatory, a museum, a library of 20,000 volumes, a penitentiary, a hospital, many monas--teries, etc. The manufactures include cottons and woollens and beer; the drying of bird-skins (humming-birds') and the production of sacred images rank as important industries. Founded in 1534, Quito has suffered frequently from earthquakes (especially in 1797 and 1854) and from revolutions (as in 1877 and 1883). Pop. 80,000, mainly Indians and mestizoes.