Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Esmeraldas is the capital of Esmeraldas Province and seat of Esmeraldas Canton in northwestern Ecuador, on the Pacific coast at the mouth of the Esmeraldas River. Founded on 21 September 1526, the city grew into a major seaport with a hot semi-arid climate divided between a wet season from January to April and a dry season from May to December. The 2022 census recorded 155,487 residents, and its economy centers on port operations exporting wood, wood chips, bananas and agricultural products, an oil refining industry connected via the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline as the city's largest employer, and fishing for corvina, snapper and tuna. Esmeraldas is known across Latin America for producing many players for Ecuador's national football team, including captain Enner Valencia, and its tourism draws on its beaches, indigenous Cayapas culture and archaeological sites such as La Tolita.