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Cuenca

City in Ecuador, capital of the Azuay Province

Cuenca, officially Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca, is an Ecuadorian city, head of the canton of the same name and capital of the province of Azuay, as well as its largest and most populated city. It is crossed by the Tomebamba, Tarqui, Yanuncay and Machángara rivers, in the south-central inter-Andean region of Ecuador, in the Paute river basin, at an altitude of 2,538 meters above sea level and with a temperate Andean climate averaging 16.3 °C. It has been locally called "Cuenca of the Andes" or "Athens of Ecuador" for its architecture, its cultural diversity, its contribution to Ecuadorian arts, sciences and literature, and for being the birthplace of many illustrious figures of Ecuadorian society. At the 2022 census it had a population of 596,101 inhabitants, making it the third most populous city in the country behind Guayaquil and Quito. The city is the core of the Cuenca metropolitan area, which is also made up of nearby rural towns and parishes. The conglomerate also ranks third among Ecuador's conurbations. It was founded on April 12, 1557, on the ruins of the Inca city of Tomebamba (a major administrative center) and the Cañari city of Guapondelig, by Gil Ramírez Dávalos, under orders of the viceroy of Peru Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza. During the 20th century, the city continued to grow, promoting education and culture, and in 1999 its historic center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of Ecuador's most important administrative, economic, financial and commercial centers. The city's main activities are commerce and industry; in recent years, Cuenca has also established itself as an international tourist attraction.