Santiago De Chile History Climate Population Political Divisions

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 Santa Lucía Hill ). Valdivia chose the location of Santiago because of its climate and the ease with which it could be defended. This was because the Mapocho River split in two, and rejoined further downstream, forming an island.

With the help of the native Picunche Indians the first buildings were erected. The south bank of the Mapocho River was 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 just out of the city. Santiago was named capital in 1818.

2 Climate

The climate in Santiago is mediterranean. With hot dry summers (November to March) with temperatures reaching to 35 Celsius on some days. The winters (June to August) are more humid with maximum temperatures of 15 being the norm, and minimums of a few degrees above freezing.

3 Population

According to the latest census (2002), 4,668,473 people live in the city of Santiago. This represents roughly one third of the total population of Chile.

4 Political divisions

Santiago is divided into 32 municipalities (comunas in Spanish). Each municipality has a mayor (alcalde), who is chosen by vote, every four years. The members of the municipality (concejales) are elected in the same election on a separate ballot.

4.1 List of municipalities

5 Culture

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

5.1 Universities

5.2 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.

5.3 Museums

Museums include:

Museo 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"

6 Transport

Santiago has an extensive, if chaotic, privately-run bus system. The buses are typically colored yellow. This system is in the process of being replaced by a new one called Transantiago which will incorporate larger, newer buses and a improved pay system, which will be compatible with that used by the Metro. The process of replacement is expected to be completed by August, 2006.
There are three metro lines that function excellently though their coverage is somewhat limited at the moment. The Government is in various stages of constructing three additional metro lines. See Metro Santiago.
Taxicabs can be easily found in the streets or they can be requested by telephone (Radiotaxis). Colectivos are taxicabs which travel only one specific route and their price is fixed.
There are train connections from Santiago to the southern part of the country. All depart from and arrive to the Estación Central (Central Station).
Private inter-urban bus companies provide excellent and cheap transportation from Santiago to virtually any part of the country.
Santiago's national and international airport is Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport.

7 Places to visit

right Ex-Congreso National

Palacio de La Moneda, government palace
The museums previously mentioned
Barrio Bellavista, cultural and bohemian spot
Santa Lucía Hill
San Cristóbal Hill
There are ski resorts within an hour's drive east from the city (Farellones, Valle Nevado, La Parva etc)
La Chascona , Pablo Neruda's house in Santiago
Santiago Metropolitan Park (Santiago Zoo), a zoo located on Cerro San Cristóbal
O'Higgins Park
Forestal Park , a park located at the city centre by the river Mapocho
Central Station , a railway station designed by Gustave Eiffel
National Stadium
Víctor Jara Stadium
Ex National Congress

8 Restaurants

Despite the abundance of pushy tourist places, several excellent restaurants, jazz clubs and nightclubs are found in the back streets of the Bella Vista district north of the river.

(in no particular order)

El Perseguidor - Calle Antonio López de Bello 0126, Bella Vista. Stylish Jazz Restaurant in Bella Vista with a creative menu and live music, visit the bathrooms and admire the unusual murals, while trying to decide whether you are a cat or a fish. (May 2004)
Azul Profundo - Constitución 111, Bella Vista, Probably one of the best seafood restaurants in Bella Vista; try the Atún de Isla Pascua; gets busy so reservations are recommended.
Off the record - Cosy bohemian joint across the road from El perseguidor, with pleasant staff and good seafood (May 2004)
El otro Sitio - A pair of smart Peruvian restaurants with excellent food, one in Bellavista, and one in Borde Río.
Confiteria Torres - (Av. Liberador Bernardo O'Higgins 1570) Grand-Cafe styled restaurant/cafe with good food, on the pricey side.

Donde Augusto is the finest (and largest) seafood restaurant in the delightful Mercado Central
Bravissimo and Coppelia compete for the gelatto market with two-scoop cones going for roughly 700 pesos as of December 2003. The most interesting flavor is lúcuma, inspired by a local fruit that tastes something like pumpkin.
Dominó has several locations and is the healthiest and brightest of the soda fountains sprinkled across downtown

9 Environment

Because of the air-circulation patterns (or lack thereof) in the central valley, in the winter months there is a lot of smog and air pollution in Santiago. The Government has been taking action to reduce the problem by giving incentives to heavy industry to move out of the central valley but until now it has not had any real effect.

Another major problem has been the contamination of the river Mapocho by industrial and household waste, which was dumped unfiltered into the river, and mining waste from upstream; there are a number of copper mines in the Andes east of Santiago. The government has passed a law that obligates industry and the governments of the comuna s to process all their waste by 2006. There are various big waste production plants being constructed because of this.

The sound levels in the main city streets can be quite high. This is mostly due to very noisy city buses. These buses are also a major contributor to the winter smog.

Cities of Chile Capitals in South America

<Hide>

Home > Santiago de Chile

1 History