Equator

Equator is an epic production - capturing every detail in High Definition - that takes viewers on a 40,000-kilometre odyssey chasing the sun to some of the most extreme and diverse locations on the planet. The equator is not only the line that divides the Earth in two - it's also a line of life and a powerful force of nature, where the pace of evolution quickens. The equator covers only 5% of the Earth's surface, but is home to 50% of its animal and plant species.

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Created By
Status	Ended
Original Name	Equator
First Air Date	August 7, 2006
Last Air Date	August 17, 2006
Seasons	1
Episodes	6
Episode Runtime	52min
Language	English
Original Language	English
Production Countries	—
Production Companies
Networks	Discovery

S01E05

Paradox of the Andes

Ecuador’s Andes are mountains of paradox, where tropical species live alongside ice age relics in an unpredictable alpine desert. THE ANDES ARE one of the most unusual places at the Equator. In Ecuador, a country whose Spanish name means ‘equator’, unexpected plants and animals meet on the slopes of active volcanoes. Every day, a conflict rages between the heat of the equatorial sun and cold created by towering mountains. The weather is always unpredictable and changeable, and the inhabitants of the paramo must endure four seasons in a day, and sometimes even in an hour. Vicunas are camels, perfectly adapted to the cold desert of the high paramo. They’re protected from cold and intense levels of solar radiation by wool that is among the finest and warmest in the world. At 4300 metres above sea level air contains only half the oxygen it does at sea level, but vicunas can maximise each breath of this thin air.

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