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Santiago, Chile

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Geography

   The snowcapped Andes above downtown Santiago
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   The snowcapped Andes above downtown Santiago

   Santiago (Spanish: Santiago de Chile ) is Chile's capital and largest
   city. It is situated at an elevation of 520 m (1700 ft) in the
   country's central valley, and administratively is a part of the
   Santiago Metropolitan Region. Even though Santiago is the capital,
   legislative bodies meet in nearby Valparaíso.

   Approximately two decades of uninterrupted economic growth have
   transformed Santiago into one of Latin America's most sophisticated
   metropolitan areas, with extensive suburban development, dozens of
   shopping malls, and impressive high-rise architecture. The city also
   boasts some of Latin America's most spectacular infrastructure, such as
   the Santiago Metro and the sparkling new "Costanera Norte," a freeway
   system that passes below downtown and connects the Eastern and Western
   extremes of the city in 15 minutes. Santiago is headquarters to many
   important companies and is a regionally important financial centre.

Basic urban data (2002)

   Population (Greater Santiago): 5,456,326

   Area: 64,140 ha

   Density: 85.1 hab/ha

Climate

   Santiago has a mild Mediterranean climate: relatively hot dry summers
   (November to March) with temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius
   (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on the hottest days; winters (June to August)
   are more humid, with typical maximum daily temperatures of 15 degrees
   Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), and minimums of a few degrees above
   freezing. Ocasional snowfall occur on higher suburbs of the city. Mean
   rainfall is 338 mm per year.

   CAPTION: Climate Table

   Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
   Mean daily maximum temperature ( °C) 29 29 27 22 18 14 14 16 18 22 25
   28
   Mean daily minimum temperature ( °C) 12 12 9 7 5 3 3 4 6 7 9 11
   Mean total rainfall ( mm) 0 3 5 13 58 79 76 53 28 13 5 5
   Source: Weather.co.uk Climate Statistics

   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. In the 1990s air pollution
   fell by about one-third, but there has been little progress since 2000.

   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. There are ongoing plans to
   decontaminate the river and make it navigable.

   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. A lengthy replacement process of the bus system began in
   2005 and will last until 2010 (see Transportation section below).
   Panorama view of eastern Santiago
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   Panorama view of eastern Santiago

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 splits into two branches
   and rejoins further downstream, forming an island.
   Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral
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   Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral

   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. The Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús caught fire during
   an 1863 church service, and 2000 people died, one of the worst modern
   fires .

   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 into 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 the most important financial centre in
   Latin America.

People

   Buildings in Apoquindo Avenue, Financial Zone of the city.
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   Buildings in Apoquindo Avenue, Financial Zone of the city.

   The population of Santiago's urban agglomeration grew from 0.982
   million in 1940 to 2.82 million in 1970 and 4.75 million in 1992.
   According to the 2002 census, it contains a population of about 5.45
   million, equivalent to nearly 37% of the total population of the
   country and 43% of the total urban population, making it one of the
   largest cities in Latin America.

   Much of Santiago's population descend from white Europeans , initially
   Spaniards, but later included government sponsored immigrants of
   German, Swiss, and English origins. They were later followed by
   Italians, Irish, and Croats immigrants. Inhabitants of mixed European
   and Amerindian (mestizo) make up a significant portion of the
   population.

   The city is increasingly receiving immigration from other countries in
   Latin America due to comparatively strong economic growth. Many
   Peruvians live in Santiago, as well as Bolivians, Argentines, and
   Ecuadorians.

Economy

   Santiago is the most important industrial and financial centre 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 Commission 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, Microsoft, Ford, Yahoo!, and many more.

Transportation

   Universidad de Chile Station, Santiago Subway
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   Universidad de Chile Station, Santiago Subway

   Santiago's national and international airport is Arturo Merino Benítez
   International Airport and ranks high regionally in terms of quality.
   Trains operated by Chile's national railway, Empresa de los
   Ferrocarriles del Estado, connect Santiago to Puerto Montt, in the
   central-southern part of the country, and to the North they connect the
   capital with the city of Iquique. 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 including the
   Vespucio Highway (which surrounds the city describing a semi-circle),
   The Ruta 5 (which crosses the city in North-South direction) and the
   Costanera Norte (which runs from the eastern side in Las Condes to the
   western in Pudahuel).

   Santiago's urban passenger transportation system include an extensive,
   if chaotic, privately run bus service as well as a publicly owned
   subway. The buses are known as micros (for microbus) and are typically
   colored yellow. This bus system is in the process of being completely
   replaced by early 2007 by a new system which includes new routes and
   larger, newer buses, with a better payment system ( Multivia card),
   compatible with the subway (see Transantiago). The subway is clean and
   safe and has five operating lines but their coverage is still somewhat
   limited towards the southern and northern edges of the city. The
   Government just inaugurated two additional subway lines (Line 4 and
   4a), but it is still being expanded, and is building 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.

Construction

   Currently under construction is the Costanera Centre, a mega project in
   Santiago's Financial District. This includes a 280 000 square meter
   mall, a 300 meter tower, two office towers of 170 meters each, and a
   hotel 105 meters tall. When completed in 2010 it will be the tallest
   building in South America. Near Costanera Centre another skyscraper is
   being built, Titanium La Portada, and this will be 190 meters tall.
   Although these are the two biggest projects, there are many other
   office buildings under construction in Santiago, as well as hundreds of
   high rise residential buildings.

Political divisions

   Satellite image of Santiago
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   Satellite image of Santiago

   Greater Santiago extends throughout 37 municipalities and covered
   64.140 ha in 2002. The majority of Santiago lies within the same named
   province, with some peripheral areas contained in the provinces of
   Talagante, Maipo and Cordillera. Specifically, Santiago joins the
   cities of San Bernardo (Maipo province) and Puente Alto (Cordillera
   province) to form the Greater Santiago conurbation.

   The province of Santiago is divided into 32 municipalities (comunas in
   Spanish). Each municipality in Chile 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.

   The 32 municipalities are: Cerrillos, Conchalí, Cerro Navia, El Bosque,
   Estación Central, Huechuraba, Independencia, La Cisterna, La Florida,
   La Granja, La Pintana, La Reina, Las Condes, Lo Barnechea, Lo Espejo,
   Lo Prado, Macul, Maipú, Ñuñoa, Pedro Aguirre Cerda, Peñalolén,
   Pudahuel, Providencia, Quilicura, Quinta Normal, Renca, Recoleta, San
   Joaquín, San Miguel, San Ramón, Santiago Centro, and Vitacura.

Cultural life

   Palacio de La Moneda in downtown Santiago
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   Palacio de La Moneda in downtown Santiago
   Santiago Stock Exchange
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   Santiago Stock Exchange
   Bellas Artes museum
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   Bellas Artes museum

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 theatre.

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

Museums

   Museums include:
     * Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda, newest and biggest cultural
       space, beneath the Citizenry Square, in the south front of the
       government palace La Moneda
     * Museo Arqueológico de Santiago
     * Museo de Santiago Casa Colorada
     * Museo Catedral Metropolitana
     * Museo Colonial San Francisco
     * Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino
     * Museo Histórico Nacional
     * Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
     * Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
     * Museo Interactivo Mirador
     * Museo Artequín
     * Museo de Ciencia y Tecnología
     * Museo Ferroviario
     * Museo de la Solidaridad "Salvador Allende"
     * Palacio Cousiño
     * La Chascona, Pablo Neruda's house, now a museum

Recreation

   The city's main parks are:
     * San Cristóbal Hill (Cerro San Cristóbal), which includes the
       Santiago Metropolitan Park Zoo
     * O'Higgins Park (Parque O'Higgins)
     * Forestal Park (Parque Forestal), park located at the city centre
       alongside Mapocho river
     * Cerro Santa Lucía

   Modern ski resorts within an hour's drive east from the city include:
     * Farellones
     * Valle Nevado
     * La Parva
     * Portillo is about three hours away.

   Some of the country's most important winegrowing areas lie in the
   nearby Maipo and Aconcagua Valleys. Several vineyards are located in
   this area:
     * Concha y Toro
     * Santa Rita
     * Santa Carolina
     * Cousiño Macul

   Cultural places to visit include:
     * Museo de Bellas Artes
     * Barrio Bellavista, cultural and bohemian neighbourhood
     * Central Station, railway station designed by Gustave Eiffel
     * Víctor Jara Stadium
     * Ex National Congress
     * Plaza de Armas, downtown square
     * Palacio de La Moneda, government palace

   Main soccer stadiums:
     * National Stadium (site of the 1962 World Cup final)
     * Estadio David Arellano (Monumental)
     * Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo

Religion

   Most of Chile's population is Catholic and Santiago is no exception.
   According to the National Census, carried out in 2002 by the National
   Statistics Bureau ( INE), in the Santiago Metropolitan Region,
   3,129,249 people 15 and older identified themselves as Catholics,
   equivalent to 68.7% of the total population, while 595,173 (13.1 %)
   described themselves as evangelical protestants. Around 1.2% of the
   population declared to be Jehovah's witnesses, while 0.9% identified
   themselves as Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 0.25 as Jewish, 0,03 as
   Moslems and 0,11 as Orthodoxs. Approximately 10.4% of the population of
   the Metropolitan Region stated that they were atheist or agnostic,
   while 5.4% declared to follow other religions.

   Source : INE, Chile, 2002 Census

Universities

     * Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Pontificial) spanish
       english
     * Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Pontificial) spanish
       english
     * Universidad de Chile (Of Chilean State) spanish
     * Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (Of Chilean State) spanish
       english
     * Universidad de Valparaíso (Of Chilean State) spanish
     * Universidad de Santiago (Of Chilean State) spanish
     * Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (Of Chilean State) spanish
     * Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación (Of Chilean
       State) spanish
     * Universidad de los Andes (Private) spanish
     * Universidad Adolfo Ibañez (Private) spanish
     * Universidad Finis Terrae (Private) spanish
     * Universidad Andrés Bello (Private) spanish english
     * Universidad del Desarrollo (Private) spanish
     * Universidad Mayor (Private) spanish
     * Universidad Diego Portales (Private) spanish

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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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