Guayaquil

With a population of 2,746,403 inhabitants, it is the most populous city in the country, the fifth largest in the Andean Community, and the largest non-capital city in South America. However, its urban fabric extends beyond its official urban parishes, encompassing nearby cities and parishes; thus, the Guayaquil metropolitan area reaches a population of 3,618,450, making it the most populous urban agglomeration in the nation, and fifth in the Andean Community. As the largest city, it is one of the two main development poles of the country—alongside Quito, the national capital—hosting Ecuador's main business, financial, cultural, and sports institutions.

After several failed founding attempts, it was definitively established in 1547 under the name "Santiago de Guayaquil" as a shipyard and port for trade in service of the Spanish Empire; from that moment, it became a key hub in the economy of the Spanish colony and later of the nation.