The country's name means "Equator" in Spanish, truncated from the Spanish official name, ''República del Ecuador'' ( "Republic of the Equator"), derived from the former Ecuador Department of Gran Colombia established in 1824 as a division of the former territory of the Royal Audience of Quito. Quito, which remained the capital of the department and republic, is located only about , ¼ of a degree, south of the equator.