Santiago de Chile

Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. It is situated in the central valley, in the Metropolitana Region.

Table of contents

1 History 2 Climate 3 Population 4 Political divisions 4.1 List of municipalities 5 Culture 5.2 Universities 5.3 Music 5.4 Museums 6 Transport 7 Places to visit 8 Restaurants 9 Environment

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 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.

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.

Mean rainfall is 360 mm per year.

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.

Political divisions

Santiago is divided into 34 municipalities (comunas in Spanish). Each municipality has a mayor (alcalde), who is chosen by vote by the members of the municipality, every four years.

List of municipalities

Culture

Universities

Traditional (Public):

• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC)
• Universidad de Chile (U, UCh)
• Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH)
• Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación (UMCE)
• Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana (UTEM)

• Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano
• 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

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

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.

• 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

• 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

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 comunas 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.