Santo Domingo de los Colorados, simply referred to as Santo Domingo, is a city and seat of the canton that bears its name. it´s a fourth largest city of Ecuador with a population of over 305,000, it is in important commercial and industrial center and the capital of the province Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.
The name, "de los Colorados" refers to a local ethnic group, the Tsáchila, and the custom of men in that tribe to dye their hair with extract of the achiote plant; hence "Santo Dominigo de los Colorados" or "Santo Domingo of the Dyed." This group, which is indigenous to the area, is recognised with a substantial statue near the town center.
Santo Domingo is located approximately 133 km west of Quito at an altitude of 625 m. Santo Domingo lies in the foothills west of the Andes. It is important stopping point on the road from Quito to the Pacific coast. The city also connects other lowland cities like Quevedo, Chone, and Quinindé.
Santo Domingo has a tropical humid climate. Average temperatures hover around 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Like many other cities on this side of the Andes floods easily. Roads between Quito and coastal cities such as Esmeraldas and Manta are often washed out and require frequent work.
The town is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santo Domingo de los Colorados.