This image, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, gives us a glimpse of Ecuador’s capital, Quito, sprawling for 40 km along this high-altitude valley in the Andes.

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At an elevation of 2850 m above sea level, Quito is the only capital city in the world built so close to an active volcano. It is dominated by Pichincha to the west but there are several other volcanoes near the city. Cotopaxi, Antisana and Cayambe, with their snow-covered peaks, are clearly visible in this image. Cotopaxi is the second highest summit in the country at about 5900 m, and one of Ecuador’s most active volcanoes.

Quito itself, which has developed within the Guayllabamba river basin, is visible at the centre of the image. The city’s southern districts are divided by the Machángara River, a tributary of the Guayllabamba. The Machángara flows through Quito, from south to north, meandering past one of the city’s famous landmarks, the Panecillo park. This hill provides some of the best views over Quito’s historical centre to its north.

The old town, distinguishable in the image due to the rosier colour of its roofs, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its well-preserved architecture.

Quito is surrounded by rich biodiversity, from cloud forests to ecological reserves, such as the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, visible in the image as a darker green area just north of the city. To the east of Quito and the Guayllabamba valley, there are three national parks, covered by patches of white cloud in this image. And to the west, white clouds cover much of the view of the city of Santo Domingo in the western foothills of the Andes mountains.

Several regions around Quito were badly affected by drought-driven wildfire during late 2025, when this image was captured. A large plume of smoke can be seen to the east of Quito and there is a smaller plume to the north, near the Sincholagua volcano.

A burnt area can be seen in the hills east of the city, where nearly 200 hectares (about 300 football pitches) of high-altitude grassland were burned near the remote Andean community of Oyacachi, within the Cayambe Coca National Park.