Atlas Trail
Ten Ecuadorian Provincial Capitals in Order of 2022 Population, from Machala to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
Ten provincial capitals, from the Pacific lowlands and the Andean valleys to the Amazon and the Galápagos, are set in order of their 2022 census population, largest first. The order shows how a country of banana ports, Andean cities and oil towns spreads its people unevenly, from about 288,000 residents in Machala to about 7,000 on San Cristobal Island.
Stop 1 of 10.
Cities
Machala, capital of El Oro Province, leads the path with about 288,072 residents at the 2022 census. It is known as the Banana Capital of the World and is the country's second most important port after Guayaquil.
Stop 2 of 10.
Cities
Portoviejo, capital of Manabí Province, had about 244,129 residents in 2022, the country's eighth largest city. It was founded by Francisco Pacheco in 1535 and moved inland in 1628 after Indigenous attacks on its coastal site.
Stop 3 of 10.
Cities
Ambato, capital of Tungurahua Province, counted 177,316 residents in 2022. It sits at 2,577 meters in the Andean valley and was nearly destroyed by the earthquake of August 5, 1949, then rebuilt over two years.
Stop 4 of 10.
Cities
Riobamba, capital of Chimborazo Province, is just behind Ambato with about 177,213 residents. It lies at about 2,754 meters in the Chambo River valley and was rebuilt at its present site in 1799 after an earthquake.
Stop 5 of 10.
Cities
Esmeraldas, capital of its province, had 155,487 residents in 2022. It lies at the mouth of the Esmeraldas River on the Pacific, and its largest employer is an oil refinery linked by the Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline.
Stop 6 of 10.
Cities
Babahoyo, capital of Los Ríos Province, had about 98,251 residents in 2022. It stands where the San Pablo and Caracol rivers join, and it processes rice, sugarcane, fruit, balsa wood and tagua nuts from the lowlands.
Stop 7 of 10.
Cities
Latacunga, capital of Cotopaxi Province, had about 77,267 residents in 2022. It lies at roughly 2,860 meters, only about 25 kilometers from the active Cotopaxi volcano, and has been destroyed by earthquakes several times.
Stop 8 of 10.
Cities
Nueva Loja, also called Lago Agrio, is the Amazon capital of Sucumbíos Province, with about 55,627 residents in 2022. It began in the 1960s as a Texaco oil camp and its economy remains tied to oil extraction.
Stop 9 of 10.
Cities
Puerto Francisco de Orellana, commonly called Coca, is the capital of Orellana Province, with about 51,281 residents in 2022. It stands where the Coca and Napo rivers meet and serves as a gateway for rainforest tourism.
Stop 10 of 10.
Cities
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno ends the path as capital of Galápagos Province, with about 7,290 residents in 2022. It lies on San Cristobal Island and combines a fishing economy with a growing tourism trade.
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