Imbabura Province in the context of Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve

Pichincha (Spanish pronunciation: [piˈtʃintʃa]) is a province of Ecuador located in the northern Sierra region; its capital and largest city is Quito. It is bordered by Imbabura and Esmeraldas to the north, Cotopaxi and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to the south, Napo and Sucumbíos to the east, and Esmeraldas and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas to the west.

Prior to 2008, the canton Santo Domingo de los Colorados was part of the Pichincha Province. It has since become its own province, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.

Esmeraldas (Spanish pronunciation: [esmeˈɾaldas]) is a northwestern coastal province of Ecuador. The capital and largest city is Esmeraldas. Esmeraldas is one of the three provinces of Ecuador that borders Colombia, and it is the most northern province in the country. The province borders Imbabura and Carchi to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Manabí, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Pichincha to the south, and Colombia to the north. The province is home to the Afro-Ecuadorian culture.

Atuntaqui is a city, with a population of 25,115, in the Imbabura Province in the northern region of Ecuador. The city is located at an altitude of 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). Atuntaqui is located just 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the larger city of Ibarra, north along the Panamerican Highway. Although the sector name is Antonio Ante, those who visit or have heard of it identify it more as Atuntaqui, a name that has acquired several meanings through history. According to Father Juan de Velasco, it is composed of two words - hatun (large) and taqui (drum), i.e. 'big drum'. Jacinto Jijón y Caamano identifies it as a 'land rich in truth'; González Suárez rejects this meaning and translates it as 'big barn'. Others call it 'place of the inn' or 'tightly closed town'.