Cotopaxi National Park

Cotopaxi National Park (Parque Nacional Cotopaxi) is a protected area in Ecuador situated in the Cotopaxi, Napo and Pichincha provinces, roughly 50 km south of Quito. The Cotopaxi volcano (meaning 'smooth neck of the moon' in Quechua; Quechua q'oto 'throat' + Aymara phakhsi 'moon') that lends its name to the park is located within its boundaries, together with two others: the dormant Rumiñawi volcano to its north-west and the historical Sincholagua volcano (last major eruption: 1877) to the south-east. Cotopaxi is among the highest active volcanoes in the world. Its most recent eruption began on 14 August 2015, and ended on 24 January 2016.