Mid-Earth: The Equator in Ecuador or the Deception of the Age

Hello everyone! Last Sunday we checked in at another important point of our journey - at the equator. The equator is the zero parallel of the Earth, which divides the planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. The equator passes through 14 countries in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. But it is the equator in Ecuador that is considered the official middle of the Earth. Why? Because it was here that the equator was actually discovered! In Ecuador, a very favorable area for studying the equator, because. in other regions, the imaginary line runs through impenetrable jungles, swamps, or deserts.

Amazing story

The equator was discovered by a French surveying expedition in the 18th century. Team leader La Condamine spent 10 years in Ecuador doing research. He proved that the planet is not round - it is flattened at the poles. Accordingly, the widest part of the Earth is the equator.

Today, the official center of the world is located in the Ecuadorian city of Mitad del Mundo ("Mitad del mundo" - literally translated from Spanish as "middle of the world"), 20 km from the capital of Ecuador, Quito. There is a huge entertainment complex here, the main attraction of which is the yellow line of the zero parallel.

Also in the park is the famous 30-meter tower topped with a globe. On the days of the spring and autumn solstices, the monument does not cast a shadow. Inside the tower there are several floors of museums where you can do a variety of physical experiments that are possible only at the equator.

In addition to the tower, there are other attractions in Mitad del mundo: a planetarium, a church where newlyweds can get married while in different hemispheres; museum of the French expedition; ethnographic museum, museum of colonial Quito; arenas with bullfights and cockfights, terrace with alpacas, coffee square. There are photo exhibitions and concerts of national music and dances, there are restaurants and shops for every taste. About one and a half million tourists come to Mitad del Mundo every year. Here you can spend the whole day with interest ... If not for one but!

swindle industry

The yellow line of the equator, all experiments and all activities (including weddings in different hemispheres) are a complete fake! The real equator calculated by GPS is 240 meters from here! And the most interesting thing is that to get there, you need to leave the territory of the Mitad del Mundo entertainment center and pay for the entrance to the Intiñan Museum. It is on the territory of this museum that the real equator passes. And it is here that you can make real, not fake experiments.

Mitad del mundo is a really good entertainment complex, and everything would be fine, but they carefully hide from tourists that the equator is not real here! We repeatedly asked the employees how to get to the real equator, and we were constantly sent to that very famous tower. It feels like the park staff has been trained to respond to visitors with something like: “What is the real equator? Here is the yellow line. Go take a photo." They all pretended that they did not understand us!)))

And only the park cleaner immediately said that for the real equator you have to go to another museum. Apparently, the cleaners do not pass marketing trainings))) What is most interesting, in the entertainment center with a fake equator of tourists, there is simply darkness! Queues everywhere, hundreds of people taking pictures on the yellow line. At the same time, there are few people on the real equator, the territory of the museum is very small, everything is somehow cozy and homely.

We asked the guide why? She replied that their museum should not be covered in the media and generally advertised in no way. For then the neighboring giant entertainment center will lose the frantic streams of tourists eager to visit the equator.

What happens at the equator?

The equator is an amazing place that gives rise to interesting phenomena. The equator is 21.3 kilometers farther from the center of the Earth than the poles. And in Ecuador, even further, because. here the equator runs through the Andes. At the equator, the weather is always the same, although it is officially summer in Ecuador. Dawn is always at 6 am and sunset is always at 6 pm.

Arriving at the Intiñan Museum, you can immediately take a guided tour in English or Spanish. The guide will tell you a lot of interesting things: about some peoples of Ecuador (for example, those who always go naked and tie a member to their stomach with a rope so that it does not hang out); about the traditions of the tribes in the jungle (including the mummification of the heads of enemies and wearing them around the neck, as an amulet); about totems of different countries; national Ecuadorian hats with which you can kill, and about guinea pigs that detect bad energy and squeak if you are angry. But now is not about that. The main part of the excursion is equatorial experiments.

Experiment 1. Egg

At the equator, all objects weigh less. Therefore, putting a chicken egg on a thin stick is easier here than anywhere else. The guide said that despite the simplicity of the procedure, only one person out of 10 can lay an egg.

At the end of the tour, everyone who has completed the task receives a certificate of "Egg Balancer". By the way, we both received such a certificate.

Experiment 2. Water

Since the equator is the widest part of the Earth, the speed of rotation of the planet on it is very high. Due to the action of centrifugal force, the water in the sink at the equator flows into the hole smoothly, without forming a funnel. In the Southern Hemisphere, water swirls clockwise, in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise. In the video, this can be seen by looking at the leaves. This is the action of the Coriolis force.

Smart people say that this whole experiment is a scam for tourists. In fact, the Coriolis force cannot manifest itself so much that an observer can see it. In this case, the decisive role is played by the side from which the water is poured. If on the left, the water will swirl clockwise, if on the right, counterclockwise. Therefore, the demonstration of experience begins with the descent of water at the equator: the settled water, with a carefully removed plug, will drain without a funnel. We tried to see some kind of catch in the experiment, but could not. It seems that water is poured in all cases the same way. Watch the video!

Experiment 3 Walking in a Straight Line

If you stand on the equator line, close your eyes, stretch your arms out to the sides and start walking in a straight line, this will not work, because. the forces of rotation of different hemispheres will pull you in different directions and you will not be able to find balance. Nikita managed to go super-smooth, which means that the whole experiment is self-hypnosis…

Experiment 4

It has been proven that at the equator a person weighs less and becomes weaker. Therefore, if standing on the equator, a person firmly squeezes the thumb and forefinger, it will be very easy to unclench them, while near the equator it is already impossible to do this.

It really works! And takes out the brain! I can't even believe that this is possible!

After all the experiments, sightseeing, visiting the cocoa exhibition and eating the most delicious chocolate, in the museum you can put a stamp on your foreign passport about visiting the equator! Similar seals are also placed at the North and South Poles. But we didn’t have our passports with us, and the guide said that the Russians never put such a stamp, because. they are afraid of border guards, and generally believe that it is illegal. While most tourists specifically collect a variety of stamps.

How to get there?

The cheapest way from Quito to the equator consists of two buses. The first one from the historic center to the Ofelia stop. From there to the stop Mitad del mundo. One way fare is 90 cents per person. Travel time 1.5 hours. In case of difficulty, follow the crowd.

How much is?

A visit to the Mitad del mundo amusement park with a fake equator costs $ 3.5. If you want to go to the equatorial museum, which is located in the famous tower, then the entrance fee to the park and museum is $6. If you want to visit also the Planetarium, then 7.5. The last option is called full pass. We took it because it was thought that the real equator was also included there, but this is not so. We advise you to take a ticket for 3.5 dollars, walk to the fake but historical equator, take a must-have photo and go to the real equator.

A visit to the Intiñan Museum with a real equator costs $4. This amount already includes an excursion. And although some of the experiments, as they say, are not entirely genuine, the museum is very cool! Very impressive and interesting! It should take at least two hours.

About all the other interesting things that I mentioned in this article (especially about the naked tribe), I will tell you later, in the following posts! Stay in touch!

And as always, I look forward to your comments!

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