Santiago, Chile

Santiago ( Spanish: Santiago de Chile ( help· info)) 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.

Climate

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.

The people

The population of Santiago's urban agglomeration grew from 1.33 million in 1950 to 2.84 million in 1970 and 4.73 million in 1990. According to the 2002 census, it contains a population of about 5.8 million, equivalent to nearly 40% of the total population of the country, making it one of the largest cities in Latin America. The government has made great efforts to encourage people to resettle out of Santiago, to relieve the pressure on the city's infrastructure.

Economy

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 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

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.

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 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 four operating lines but their coverage is still somewhat limited. The Government just inaugurated an additional subway line (Line 4), 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.

Political divisions

Greater Santiago is a conurbation extending throughout 37 municipalities. The majority of Santiago lies within the same named province, with some peripheral areas contained in the provinces of Talagante, Maipo and Cordillera.

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. Some of the important municipalities are: Santiago Centro, Las Condes, Providencia, Maipú, La Florida and Ñuñoa.

Cultural life

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 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

Universities

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

Traditional (Public):

• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Puc)
• Universidad de Chile (U, UCh) Oldest and leading institution
• Universidad de Santiago de Chile (Usach)
• Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación (Umce)
• Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (Utem)

Non-Traditional (Private):

• Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano
• Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (UAI)
• Universidad Alberto Hurtado
• Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins
• Universidad Bolivariana
• Universidad Católica Raúl Silva Henríquez
• Universidad Central de Chile
• Universidad de Artes y Ciencias Sociales (Arcis)
• Universidad de Artes, Ciencias y Comunicación (UNIACC)
• Universidad de Ciencias de la Informática
• Universidad de las Américas
• Universidad de Los Andes
• Universidad del Desarrollo
• Universidad del Pacífico
• Universidad Diego Portales
• Universidad Europea de Negocios
• Universidad Finis Terrae
• Universidad Gabriela Mistral
• Universidad Iberoamericana de Ciencias y Tecnología
• Universidad Internacional SEK
• Universidad La República
• Universidad Mariano Egaña
• Universidad Mayor
• Universidad Miguel de Cervantes
• Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello
• Universidad Santo Tomás
• Universidad Tecnológica Vicente Pérez Rosales

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:

• San Cristóbal Hill, which includes the Santiago Metropolitan Park Zoo
• O'Higgins Park
• Forestal Park, 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 some three hours away.

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

• Concha y Toro
• Santa Rita
• Santa Carolina
• Cousiño Macul

Cultural places to visit include:

• Barrio Bellavista, cultural and bohemian neighborhood
• 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
• Estadio David Arellano (Monumental)
• Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo

History

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.