Mount Chimborazo

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Chimborazo, a stratovolcano in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes, is currently inactive. Its last known eruption occurred around 550 C.E. With an elevation of 6,263 meters (20,548 feet), Chimborazo stands as the highest mountain in Ecuador. It's also the highest peak near the equator. Although it's not the highest mountain by elevation above sea level, its location along the equatorial bulge makes its summit the farthest point from Earth's center. According to Wikipedia, the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes is home to many impressive mountains, but Chimborazo holds a unique distinction. Its altitude of 6,310 meters (20,703 feet) is notable, especially when compared to Mount Everest and Mauna Kea. However, it's not just about elevation; Chimborazo has the distinction of being the highest mountain above Earth's center. This is due to the fact that our planet is not a perfect sphere but an oblate spheroid, widest at its equator. As a result, Chimborazo's location just one degree south of the equator gives it a significant advantage. At 6,384 kilometers (3,967 miles) above Earth's center, Chimborazo is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) farther from Earth's center than Mount Everest. This unique characteristic makes it an interesting topic for geology enthusiasts and those fascinated by the Earth's shape.