Current Time in Riobamba, Ecuador

Riobamba stands in the central highlands of Ecuador, on a broad plain some two thousand seven hundred and fifty metres above sea level, ringed by the greatest volcanoes in the country. Chimborazo, whose snow-capped summit is the point on the earth's surface furthest from the centre of the planet, rises to the north-west, with Tungurahua, El Altar and Carihuairazo completing the circle. The air is thin and clear, the light brilliant, and the climate cool all year, with sharp sunshine by day and cold nights.

About a quarter of a million people live in the city and its canton. Riobamba is the capital of Chimborazo province and the commercial centre of a highland region of farming communities producing potatoes, barley, quinoa, dairy and livestock. It is also a centre of education, transport and small industry, and long-standing pride in its history has given it the nickname of the Sultana of the Andes.

The original Spanish city, founded in 1534, was the first in what is now Ecuador, but it stood on a different site and was destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake and landslide in 1797 that buried much of the town and killed thousands. Survivors moved to the present plain and laid out a new city on a strict grid, which explains its regular streets and spacious squares. In 1830 the first constituent assembly of the newly independent Republic of Ecuador met here and drafted the country's first constitution, giving Riobamba a special place in the national story. The arrival of the railway between Guayaquil and Quito in the early twentieth century brought prosperity and made the city a hub of Andean commerce.

The cathedral on the main square is the city's most poignant monument, since its carved white stone facade was rescued from the ruins of the old town and reassembled here. Nearby stand elegant nineteenth-century buildings, the basilica with its great dome, and the Convent of the Conception, whose museum of religious art holds a famous jewelled gold monstrance. The Saturday market is one of the largest in the Andes, filling many streets with indigenous Puruha traders in embroidered shawls and felt hats selling produce, textiles, herbs and animals. Riobamba is also the traditional base for climbing Chimborazo and for visits to its wildlife reserve, where herds of vicuna graze the high paramo, and it was long the starting point for the spectacular railway descent known as the Devil's Nose.

Local culture blends Spanish and indigenous Kichwa traditions, seen in festivals, music played on pipes and drums, and food such as hornado roast pork, potato soup with cheese, and roasted guinea pig served on holidays. Cycling, hiking and mountaineering are part of everyday life.

The Pan-American Highway passes through the city, buses connect it to Quito and Guayaquil in a few hours, and roads climb into the surrounding mountains. The Polytechnic School of Chimborazo and the National University of Chimborazo bring thousands of students to the city.

Riobamba is loved for its volcanoes, its markets and its role at the birth of the Ecuadorian republic.