Cotopaxi National Park

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Cotopaxi National Park
Cotopaxi volcano 2008-06-27T1322.jpg
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Location Ecuador
Cotopaxi Province, Napo Province and Pichincha Province
Coordinates 0°41′3″S78°26′14″W / 0.68417°S 78.43722°W / -0.68417; -78.43722
Area33,393  ha (82,520 acres)
Established11 August 1975
Governing body Ministerio del Ambiente

Cotopaxi National Park (Spanish : Parque Nacional Cotopaxi) is a protected area in Ecuador situated in the Cotopaxi, Napo and Pichincha provinces, roughly 50 km (31 mi) south of Quito. The Cotopaxi volcano (meaning 'smooth neck of the moon' in Quechua; Quechua q'oto 'throat' + Aymara phakhsi 'moon') that lends its name to the park is located within its boundaries, together with two others: the dormant Rumiñawi volcano to its north-west and the historical Sincholagua volcano (last major eruption: 1877) to the south-east. Cotopaxi is among the highest active volcanoes in the world. Its most recent eruption began on 14 August 2015, and ended on 24 January 2016. [1]

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Sincholagua is an inactive volcano located in Ecuador 17 km (11 mi) northeast of Cotopaxi Volcano and 45 km (28 mi) southeast of Quito. It is the 12th highest peak in the country at 4,899 m (16,073 ft) but also one of the lesser known ones. The name of the mountain comes from the indigenous language Quichua and means "strong above". Due to its close proximity to Cotopaxi, the second highest peak in Ecuador and the most popular volcano, it is far less frequently visited compared to other mountains in the country. It has a sharp peak and at one point had glacial cover year round, but all of the glaciers melted a few decades ago. However, snow can still be seen on the peak since there is sometimes heavy snowfall at the summit.

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References

  1. "Global Volcanism Program | Cotopaxi".

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