Pichincha

Pichincha, province, north-central Ecuador. It consists largely of a highland area in the Andes Mountains, which descends to a small lowland fringe to the west. The provincial capital, Quito, also the national capital, has made it a focal point of Ecuadorian history and politics.

In the early 15th century the Quitu Indians, original inhabitants of the area, were conquered by the Cara Indians. These last were soon supplanted by the Incas, who, from their Peruvian centre, swept through central Ecuador at about the same time as the landfall of Columbus. The Inca emperor Huayna Capac (died c. 1525) established Quito as an important governmental and military outpost, and his followers settled the territory now composing Pichincha province. Later the province was the site of a decisive Battle of Pichincha in the Latin American wars of independence.

Most of the population is concentrated in the more temperate valleys of the high Andean plateau. Although agriculture and cattle raising are the main occupations, thriving industries (concentrated mainly in Quito), including textile mills and food-processing plants, contribute to the economy. The province produces cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, cacao, coffee, and rice. Its forests are sources of fine woods and there are copper deposits. Tourism is a growing economic factor. The Pan-American Highway and a rail line between Guayaquil and Quito run through the province from north to south. Area 3,654 square miles (9,465 square km). Pop. (2001) 2,388,817; (2010) 2,576,287.