Santiago, Chile

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Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral
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Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral

Santiago (officially in Spanish, Santiago de Chile) is Chile's capital and largest city. It is situated in the country's central valley, and administratively is a part of the Santiago Metropolitan Region. While Santiago is the capital, legislative bodies meet in nearby Valparaiso. Geographical coordinates, 33° 26′ 16″ S, 70° 39′ 02″ W.

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Climate

Upscale Santiago at dawn with the snowcapped Andes in the background
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Upscale Santiago at dawn with the snowcapped Andes in the background

Santiago has a mild Mediterranean climate: relatively hot dry summers (November to March) with temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius on the hottest days; winters (June to August) are more humid, with typical maximum daily temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius, and minimums of a few degrees above freezing. Mean rainfall is 360 mm per year.

Thermal inversion (a meteorological phenomenon whereby a stable layer of warm air holds down colder air close to the ground) causes high levels of smog and air pollution to be trapped and concentrate within the Central Valley during winter months. The government has attempted to reduce pollution by giving incentives for heavy industry to move out of the valley but such measures have seen limited results.

The Mapocho river, which crosses the city from the north-east to the south-west of the Central Valley, is contaminated by industrial and household sewage, dumped unfiltered into the river, and by upstream copper-mining waste (there are a number of copper mines in the Andes east of Santiago). The central government recently passed a law that forces industry and local governments to process all their wastewater by 2006. There are now a number of large wastewater processing and recycling plants under construction.

Sound levels on the main streets are high, mostly because of noisy diesel buses. Diesel trucks and buses are also major contributors to winter smog.

Panorama view of eastern Santiago
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Panorama view of eastern Santiago
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The people

The metropolitan area of Santiago contains a population of 6,061,185, according to the 2002 census. It is one of the largest cities in Latin America, and it concentrates 40 percent of the country's population. The government has made great efforts to encourage people to resettle out of Santiago, to relieve the pressure on the city's infrastructure.

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The economy

The Telefónica bulding, shaped like a giant cell phone, is the country's tallest building (143 m)
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The Telefónica bulding, shaped like a giant cell phone, is the country's tallest building (143 m)

Santiago is the most important industrial and financial center of Chile. It generates 45 percent of the country's GDP. Also, the city is, along with Buenos Aires and São Paulo, one of the biggest financial centers of South America. Some international institutions, such as ECLAC (Economic comission for Latin America and the Caribbean), have their offices in Santiago. In recent years, due to the strong growth and stability of the Chilean economy, many multinational companies have chosen Santiago as the place for their headquarters in the region, like HP, Reuters, JP Morgan, Intel, Coca Cola, Unilever, Nestlé, Kodak, BHP Billiton, IBM, Motorola, and many more.

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Transportation

Santiago's national and international airport is Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport and ranks high regionally in terms of quality. Trains connect Santiago to Puerto Montt, in the central-southern part of the country. All such trains arrive and depart from the Estación Central ("Central Station"). Private inter-urban bus companies provide excellent and cheap transportation from Santiago to virtually any part of the country. There are also several new inter-urban toll highways connecting the city's extremes; some of these are still under construction.

Kennedy Ave. in Las Condes
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Kennedy Ave. in Las Condes

Santiago's urban passenger transportation system include an extensive, if chaotic, privately-run bus service as well as a subway. The buses are known as micros (for microbus) and are typically colored yellow. This bus system will be completely replaced in late 2006 by a new system which includes new routes and larger, newer buses, with a better payment system, compatible with the subway. (See Transantiago.) The subway is clean and safe and has three operating lines but their coverage is still somewhat limited. The Government is building an additional subway line (Line 4), and extensions to Lines 1 and 2. (See Santiago Metro.)

Taxicabs can usually be found on the streets and are painted black with yellow roofs; unmarked taxis may be called up by telephone (Radiotaxis). Colectivos are shared taxicabs that carry passengers along a specific route, for a fixed fee.

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Political divisions

Satellite image of Santiago
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Satellite image of Santiago

The city of Santiago lies within the larger province of Santiago, which is divided into 32 municipalities (comunas in Spanish). Each municipality is headed by a mayor (alcalde) elected by voters every four years. The members of the municipal council (concejales) are elected in the same election on a separate ballot.

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Cultural life

Palacio de La Moneda in downtown Santiago
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Palacio de La Moneda in downtown Santiago
Santiago's architecture is a mixture of old and new: an example is the Plaza de Armas with the Metropolitan Cathedral, old Post Office, and modern skyscraper
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Santiago's architecture is a mixture of old and new: an example is the Plaza de Armas with the Metropolitan Cathedral, old Post Office, and modern skyscraper
Santiago Stock Exchange
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Santiago Stock Exchange
Bellas Artes museum
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Bellas Artes museum
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Music

There are two symphonic orchestras:

  • Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago, which performs in the Teatro Municipal
  • Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile, dependent of the Universidad de Chile, performs in its theater.

There are also various jazz establishments, the most notable being the Club de Jazz in Nunoa.

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Museums

Museums include:

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Universities

The city has the largest concentration of higher-education institutions in the country.

Traditional (Public):

Non-Traditional (Private):

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Recreation

Santiago is a densely inhabited city with only 2.5 m² of green space per inhabitant; less than a third of what the WHO recommends. The city's main parks are:

Modern ski resorts within an hour's drive east from the city include:

One of the country's most important winegrowing areas lie in the near Maipo Valley. Several vineyards are located in this area:

Cultural places to visit include:

Main soccer stadiums:

  • National Stadium
  • Estadio David Arellano (Monumental)
  • Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo
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History

The Founding of Santiago by Pedro de Valdivia by Pedro Lira (1889)
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The Founding of Santiago by Pedro de Valdivia by Pedro Lira (1889)

Santiago was founded by Pedro de Valdivia on February 12, 1541 with the name Santiago de Nueva Extremadura. The founding ceremony was held on Huelén Hill (later renamed Cerro Santa Lucía). Valdivia chose the location of Santiago because of its moderate climate and the ease with which it could be defended—the Mapocho River split the area in two, and rejoined further downstream, forming an island.

The first buildings were erected with the help of the native Picunche Indians. The south bank of the Mapocho River was later drained and converted into a public promenade, known as the Alameda (now Avenida Alameda Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins). The city was slightly damaged during the War of Independence (1810–18), in the Battle of Maipú, which was fought south-west of the city. Santiago was named capital in 1818.

During the early 19th century, Santiago remained a small town with few buildings excepting Palacio de La Moneda, the building used as the Chilean mint during the Spanish period, and a few churches and other civic buildings. In the 1880s extraction of nitrate fertilizer in Northern Chile brought prosperity to the country, and promoted the capital city's development. Important landmarks were built in 1910 during the Centennial celebrations of independence from Spain, such as the National Library and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Santiago began its transformation to a modern city in the 1930s, with the building of the Barrio Cívico, surrounding El Palacio de La Moneda. The city also grew in population, due to migration from the north and south of Chile.

In 1985 an earthquake destroyed some historically significant buildings in the downtown area.

Santiago is now often considered an important financial center in Latin America.

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External links

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