Ecuador is a country on South America’s west coast. Its diverse landscape encompasses Amazon jungle, Andean highlands, over 1,000 miles of Pacific Coast and the wildlife-rich Galápagos Islands. In the Andean foothills at an elevation of 2,850m,  Quito, the capital, is known for its largely intact Spanish colonial center, with decorated 16th- and 17th-century palaces and religious sites, like the ornate Compañía de Jesús Church.