Guayaquil, Ecuador

Guayaquil (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaʝaˈkil] (listen); Quechua: Wayakil), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the second largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is located on the west bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil.

The origin of the name of the city of Santiago de Guayaquil has been much discussed, although historians agree that it is pre-Hispanic. Since the founding of the city in 1534, it is linked to the name of Santiago in memory of its patron saint, Santiago, apostle of Christ, who is also patron saint of several other Spanish American colonial cities, such as Santiago de Chile, as he is of Spain itself.