Map of Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Esmeraldas is the administrative centre of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, with a population of about 218,727. It lies at 0.9592°N, 79.6540°W. Esmeraldas is about 182 km (113 mi) northwest of Quito, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Rosa Zarate, 73 km to the south.

Esmeraldas at a glance

Where is Esmeraldas?

• The 13th largest city in Ecuador by recorded population.
• Located in the Northern and Western hemispheres.
• Close to the equator, so day length stays near 12 hours all year.

Cities near Esmeraldas

• Rosa Zarate — 73 km south
• Tumaco — 133 km northeast, Colombia
• Santo Domingo de los Colorados — 145 km south
• Quito — 182 km southeast
• Ibarra — 183 km east
• Chone — 191 km south
• Bahía de Caráquez — 193 km southwest
• Tulcán — 216 km east
• Quevedo — 222 km south
• Velasco Ibarra — 223 km south

Largest cities in Esmeraldas

• Rosa Zarate — 42,121

Largest cities in Ecuador

• Quito — 2,781,641
• Guayaquil — 2,723,665
• Cuenca — 636,996
• Santo Domingo de los Colorados — 458,580
• Ambato — 387,309
• Portoviejo — 321,800
• Eloy Alfaro — 315,724
• Machala — 289,141
• Loja — 274,112
• Manta — 264,281

Map of Ecuador and all its cities →

Other places named Esmeraldas

• Esmeraldas — Minas Gerais, Brazil

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.