Cotopaxi

Declared in 1975, it protects the Cotopaxi volcano (5,897 m), reckoned the highest perfectly symmetrical conical active volcano in the world. It was studied as early as 1802 by the Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt during his historic American expedition, which documented its activity and helped popularise scientific interest in Andean volcanoes across Europe. After almost 140 years of relative quiet, Cotopaxi returned to eruptive activity in 2015, forcing the temporary closure of the park on safety grounds before its gradual reopening.