It lies between the humid Amazon Basin and the Peruvian sechura, and is composed mainly of paramo, cloud-forest, and jungle.

The valley borders the Podocarpus National Park, which is a massive cloud-forest reserve accessible through the Cajanuma gates just minutes outside the city.

Due to its valley location, the city is often misty in the morning with general absence of sunshine, clearing off towards the afternoon.

[3] Close to the city of Loja, the first wind power station of Ecuador is located with a visitors center and 11 generators.

On Sundays, the local police band performs in the Plaza de Independencia outside of San Sebastian Church.

The city is full of public artworks, including massive painted tile murals, frescoes, and statuary.

[citation needed] Loja is the birthplace of several renowned intellectuals, such as: Pablo Palacio, Benjamín Carrión, Miguel Riofrío, Ángel Felicísimo Rojas, among others.

Gran Colombia, and houses four galleries which show contemporary Lojano artwork, and a cafeteria and gift shop.

Beginning at the Puerta de la Ciudad, one of the first thing a tourist will notice is a large orange stripe painted on the sidewalk.

The Church of Santo Domingo was built in 1557; the entire edifice was once in the Gothic style, but after an earthquake in 1867 only the twin spires remained standing.

In the plaza of the church stands a monument to Manuel Carrión Pinzano, a founder in 1853 of the Federalism movement in Loja.

A monument to Pío Jaramillo stands on the south end of the avenue bearing his name, and at the junction of Av.

In the north of the city, Jipiro Park covers more than 10 hectares, is home to various native bird species, and is notable for its scale reproductions of historic and cultural buildings.

Next to Jipiro on the eastern and western shores of the Rio Zamora, is a huge greenspace with a public carting race track, riding trails, an orchid nursery, and the Loja zoo.

On a hill called Pucará de Podocarpus, this is a children's park with playground equipment and a beautiful scenic view.

Located opposite the Botanical Gardens about 5 km south of central Loja, the park covers 90 hectares and includes hiking trails, camping areas, and classrooms for environmental education.

The Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja is one of the top 3 in the nation, offering local and distance education in different fields, such as Architecture, Medicine, Communications, Law, Accounting, Engineering, Auditing, Electronics and Telecommunications, Trades, Administration, Humanities, Biology, and many more.

[citation needed] The major newspapers are La Hora,[4] and Cronica http://www.cronica.com.ec ; the Quito and Guayaquil dailies are also available here.