Francisco de Orellana Bejarano Pizarro y Torres de Altamirano (Spanish pronunciation: [fanisko e oeana]; 1511 November 1546) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. In one of the most improbably successful voyages in known history, Orellana managed to sail the length of the Amazon, arriving at the river's mouth on 24 August 1542. He and his party sailed along the Atlantic coast until reaching Cubagua Island, near the coast of Venezuela.

Orellana founded the city of Guayaquil in what is now Ecuador, and died during a second expedition on the Amazon.



Guayaquil (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaʝaˈkil] (listen); Quechua: Wayakil), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's main port. The city is the capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton.

The city is located on the west bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil.