Equator Monument in Mitad del Mundo in Ecuador
Obelisk at Equator

Middle of the World City in Ecuador plans to mark the equator with the tallest building in the world.

The Ecuadorian Cuidad Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World City) is located about 8 miles north of the capital near the equator. Apart from its land and online gambling facilities, the main tourist attraction of the town is the 30-meter obelisk erected near the equator.

The monument was built between 1979 and 1982 to mark the Earth’s equator (zero degrees latitude, zero seconds and zero minutes), which is actually a few hundred meters north from its spot. Most tourist are not bothered with inaccuracy, and take pictures on a yellow line painted on the pavement believing they have one foot in each hemisphere.

Experts and town leader blame the inaccurate measuring devices used in the 1930’s when a smaller monument was built on the site of the present obelisk.

As a smart strategy to boost tourism, the town council and the Ecuadorian government plan to replace the monument with the world’s tallest building. The new sky scraper is to be built on the right spot, and is going to be called “The Tower of the Sun”. Its design and theme is supposed to pay tribute to the Quitu-Cara, indigenous Indian group in Ecuador.

The sketches given to casino gambling news by the Ecuadorian authorities show a skyscraper of tapered latticed metal erected among rolling foothills. It height is not less about mile, 1,600 meters to be precise. Estimates put its building costs around $200.

At present, the world’s tallest building title is the 828 meter (2,716.5 feet) high Burj Khalifa in Dubai, opened in January 2010.