Santiago ( ), is the
capital and largest city of
Chile
, and the centre of its largest conurbation (Greater
Santiago). It is located in the country's
central valley, at an elevation of
520 m (1,700 ft)
AMSL.
Although
Santiago is the capital, legislative bodies
meet in nearby Valparaíso
.
Approximately three decades of uninterrupted economic growth have
transformed Santiago into one of
Latin
America's most modern metropolitan areas, with extensive
suburban development, dozens of shopping malls, and impressive
high-rise architecture. It is an
Alpha World
City and has some of Latin America's most modern transportation
infrastructure, such as the growing
Santiago Metro (the metropolitan underground
train system) and the new
Costanera
Norte, a toll-based highway system that passes below downtown
and connects the Eastern and Western extremes of the city in a
25-minute drive. Santiago is a regional financial centre.
Usage note
Throughout
this article the term Santiago will normally refer to the
Greater Santiago area; however, there are several other entities
which bear the name of Santiago and need to be explained: The
commune (comuna) of
Santiago (sometimes referred to as Santiago
Centro), is a subdivision of the Santiago Province, which is itself
a subdivision of the Santiago Metropolitan Region
. Greater Santiago includes the majority of
the
Santiago Province, and
some areas of neighboring provinces (see Political divisions). The
Great Santiago inhabitants are called
Santiaguinos/as. The
commune of Santiago is administered by the Santiago municipality
(
Municipalidad de Santiago), a separate legal entity with
an elected mayor and council.
It encompasses the oldest part of Greater
Santiago, enclosed by old rail lines, including downtown,
historical neighborhoods and all major government infrastructure,
including the government palace La Moneda
. It has an area of and a population of
200,792 (2002 census).
History
Founding of the city
1541 founding of Santiago
Santiago
was founded by Spanish Conquistador
Pedro de Valdivia on February 12,
1541 with the name Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, as a homage
to Saint James and Extremadura
, Valdivia's birth place in Spain
.
The
founding ceremony was held on Huelén Hill (later renamed
Cerro Santa
Lucía
). Valdivia chose the location of Santiago
because of its climate, abundant vegetation and the ease with which
it could be defended—the Mapocho River
then split into two branches and rejoined further
downstream, forming an island.The
Inca
ruler Manco Cápac II warned the new rulers that his people
Indigenous people would be hostile to the
occupiers. The Spanish invaders had to battle against hunger caused
by this resistance. Pedro de Valdivia ultimately succeeded in
stabilizing the food supply and other resources needed for Santiago
to thrive.
Santiago was founded on 12 February
1541 by
Pedro de Valdivia, under the name
"Santiago del Nuevo Extremo". In the same act, the environment of
the province of Nueva Extremadura "collected.
The ceremony took
place on the hill Cerro Santa Lucia
(by Picunche-natives
"huelen referred to), which is now a park on the outskirts of the
historic centre. Valdivia chose the location because the
river Mapocho here a larger island formed. This situation was
favorable to the city against the attacks of the
Mapuche to defend.
The floor of the new town consisted of straight roads of 12 Varas
(14.35 m) width, in equal intervals of 138 Varas (165.08 m) or
perpendicular to each other were. With nine roads in the east-west
direction and 15 in the north-south direction, there were 126
Blocks that formed the so-called "Manzanas" or square cut.
Attempted destruction
The resistance of the indigenous population continued and resulted
in a series of further conflicts.On the September 11 of
1541 began an organised uprising of
Picunche and Michimalongo-led attack on Santiago.
Which lead a war of three years. At the time the Conquistadores
were in a very precarious situation. Suffering from persistent food
shortages and were in almost complete isolation from the rest of
the world.
Pedro de Valdivia sent in January
of
1542 an emissary, Alonso de Monroy, with
five tabs to Peru to request help. After 20 harsh months for the
Conquistadors, De Monroy, was back from Peru with a reinforcement
goods. This stopped the isolated and demoralized situation of the
soldiers in Santiago. The uprising ultimately failed and the
indigenous population moved down South and the city remained
relatively safe.
Colonial Santiago
While Santiago was on the verge of extinction by the Indian attack,
an earthquake and a series of
floods, the city
began to settle rapidly. Of the 126 blocks designed by Gamboa, in
1558 and had been occupied forties, and in
1580, the full quote while the land near hosted
tens of thousands of head of
livestock. In
the architectural field, they begin to build the first important
buildings in the city, highlighting the start of construction in
stone of the first
Cathedral in
1561 and the Church of San Francisco in
1572, both being built mainly in
Adobe and stone.
In
1767, the corregidor
Luis Manuel de Zañartu, began one of the major
architectural works throughout the colonial period: the Bridge
Calicanto, which helped unite the city.
In
1780, Governor Agustín de Jáuregui hired the
Italian architect Toesca Joaquin, who designed, among other
important works, the facade of the Cathedral, La Moneda.
The government of Bernardo O'Higgins also opened the road to Valparaíso in 1791.
Independence
Battle of Maipú 1818
On 12 February
1817 the
Battle of Chacabuco was held in Colina,
which is located just north of Santiago.There Argentine and Chilean
independence armies, led by
José de San Martín and
Bernardo O'Higgins fought the Spanish
royalists. Chile subsequently proclaimed on the same day its
independence.
During the authoritarian era of the so-called Republic (from 1830
to 1891) the school system was introduced and the cultural life
started to flourish. In 1843 the
Universidad de Chile was founded. In
1888 another university
Universidad
Pontificia Católica was also founded. By 1885 there were
189,322 people living in Santiago.
19th Century
Map of Santiago in 1895.
Santiago in 1891
During the years of the
Republican era, institutions were
created primarily for educational reasons and they became
milestones of the planning period, as the
University of Chile (Universidad de
Chile), the Normal School of preceptors, the School of Arts and
Crafts and the
Quinta Normal, which included the Museum of
Fine Arts (now Museum of Science and Technology) and the National
Museum of Natural History. In 1851, the first telegraph system
connecting the capital with the Port of Valparaiso was
inaugurated.
A new momentum in the urban development of the capital took place
during the so-called "Liberal Republic" and the administration of
the city's mayor,
Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna.
Among the main works during this period are the remodeling of the
Cerro Santa Lucia which despite its central location was in very
poor shape.
In an effort to transform Santiago,
Vicuña Mackenna began
construction of the "Camino de Cintura" that surrounded the whole
city, which until then had an extension similar to the current
commune of Santiago. A new redevelopment of Alameda Ave. finally
enshrined the central artery of the city.
With the
work of European landscapes in 1873, O'Higgins Park
opened.The park, with a public access,
became an point of interest in Santiago due to the large gardens,
lakes and carriages.
Similarly, other important buildings were
opened during this era, such as the Teatro
Municipal
which had many operas, and the Riding Club.
At the same time, James received the International Exposition, held
in 1875 in the grounds of the Quinta Normal.
Santa Lucía
In terms of transportation, the city became the main hub of the
railways at the national level.The first railroad reached the city
on September 14,
1857 in an emerging Central
Station of Santiago, which would be opened permanently in
1884. During those years, the city was connected by
rail to Valparaiso and rail crossing much of the country from north
to south.With regards to urban transport, the streets of Santiago
were paved and there were 1,107 cars in 1875. While 45,000 people
used tram services as in daily basis.
Crisis, boom and immigration
The 1930s saw the beginning of a transformation of the city into a
modern, industrialized one.
Surrounding the Presidential Palace
(La
Moneda) was the administrative district Barrio Cívico with
many ministries and other public facilities. The population
increased due immigration from northern and southern Chile and by
the 1940s it exceeded the milestone of a million inhabitants.
Immigration continue and by the year of 1960 Santiago's population
had doubled to two million inhabitant. This fast increase in
population led, especially in the poor neighborhoods of the city,
to even worse social conditions than experienced before. Numerous
children were considered malnourished, many families were left
homeless and unemployment was soaring high.
The conversion of the city in a modern, industrialized city, began
in the 1930s.
Around the Presidential Palace (Palacio de
La
Moneda) was the administrative district Barrio Cívico many
ministries and other public institutions. Population rose
rapidly to by the migration from Northern and southern Chile and
exceeded the limit of one million to 1940. Until 1960 it had
doubled to two million. This led particularly in the slums of
Santiagos to increase the social situation. Many children were
considered undernourished, many families were homeless, and high
unemployment.After the victory of
Salvador Allende, were since
1970 the wages of workers and employees 35 to 60
percent increased. Prices for the rent and important
Grundbedarfsmittel were frozen. Education and health care were made
free of charge. Every child received shoes and daily a litre
Gratismilch. The birth rate in the capital region fell by 20
percent. The focus of the policy was in the expropriation of
foreign enterprises and banks.
Santiago in the 20th Century
Alameda in 1906
Santiago City centre
In the following decades, Santiago flourished and continued to grow
with high rise. In
1940, the city accumulated
952,075 inhabitants, in
1952 this figure
reached 1,350,409 inhabitants, the
census of
1960 totaled 1,907,378 Santiago. This growth
was reflected in the urbanization of rural areas on the periphery,
where they settled middle-class families with low and stable
housing: in 1930, the urban area had an area of 6,500 hectares,
which in
1960 came to 20,900 and
1980 came to 38,296. Although most of the communities
continued to grow, it is mainly concentrated in outlying
communities such as Canyon to the west, north and Conchalí the tank
and the Farm to the south. In the case of the upper class, it began
to approach the sector of the pre-Las Condes and La Reina. The
centre, by contrast, has lost population, leaving more space for
the development of trade, banking and government activities.
The
growth took place without any regulation and started only to be
implemented during the 1960s with the creation
of various development plans of the Greater Santiago
, which reflect the new reality of a city much
larger . In
1958 the Plan was launched
in Santiago and inter proposing the organization of urban
territory, setting a limit of 38,600 hectares and semi-urban, for a
maximum population of 3,260,000 inhabitants, the construction of
new roads (such as Avenida Américo Vespucio Circunvalación and the
Pan American highway), the widening of the existing and the
establishment of "industrial cordons. The celebration of the World
Cup in 1962 gave new impetus to the improvement works of the city.
In
1966 he established the Metropolitan Park of
Santiago in the Cerro San Cristóbal and MINVU began eradicating
callampas populations and construction of new homes and remodeling
San Borja, which was built near the Diego Portales Building.
In
1967 was inaugurated the new International
Airport Pudahuel, and after years of discussion, in
1969 it would begin construction of the Metro de
Santiago, the first phase would run under the western section of
the Alameda and would be inaugurated in 1975. Metro became one of
the most prestigious of the city and in subsequent years to expand,
reaching two perpendicular lines at the end of
1978. Telecommunications have an important development,
as reflected by the construction of the Torre Entel, which since
its construction in 1975 would be one of the symbols of the capital
to be the tallest structure in the country for two decades.
After the coup of
1973 and the establishment of
the military regime, urban planning had no major changes until the
start of
1980, when the government adopted a
neoliberal economic model and the role of organizer of the state
going to market. In
1979 the master plan is
amended, extending the urban radio to more than 62,000 hectares for
housing development, causing a further expansion of the city,
arriving at 40,619 has extended the early
1990s, especially in the area Florida in the
1992 census became the country's most populous
municipality with 328,881 inhabitants. Meanwhile, a strong
earthquake struck the city on March 3,
1985,
which caused few casualties but left many homeless and destroyed
many old buildings.
Economic crisis and recovery
Alameda Avenue
Starting in 1981, Chile and Santiago for that matter, went into a
deep economic and financial crisis. The Chilean solution to the
crisis was heterodox in the sense that many policies appeared to
have been arbitrary, and policymistakes were made and corrected
along the way. However, the economy recovered relatively quickly,
and since has built a strong financial sector that allowed the
country to avoid the financial turmoil observed during 1995 and
1997-98 in other emerging market economies.
Geography
Satellite image of Santiago
Cerro San Cristobal
The city lies in the centre of the
Santiago Basin, a large
bowl-shaped valley consisting of a broad and fertile plain
surrounded by mountains. It is flanked by the main chain of the
Andes on the east and the
Chilean Coastal Range on the west. On
the north, it is bound by the
Cordón de Chacabuco, a
transverse mountain range of the Andes, whereas at the southern
border lies
Angostura de Paine, where an elongated spur of
the Andes almost reaches the Coastal Range. Santiago Basin is part
of the
Intermediate
Depression and is remarkably flat, interrupted only by a few
hills.
Among those are Cerro
Renca, Cerro Blanco and Cerro Santa
Lucía.
The Andes
mountains around Santiago are quite tall, culminating in Tupungato
volcano at . Other volcanoes include Tupungatito
, San José
and Maipo
.
Cerro El
Plomo
is the highest mountain visible from Santiago's
urban area.
Santiago is situated mainly on a plain known as the Santiago basin.
This basin is part of the Intermediate Depression and is clearly
delimited by the string of Chacabuco in the north, the
Andes Mountains in the east, the narrowness of Paine
in the south and the
Cordillera de la
Costa. Approximately has a length of 80 km in a north-south
direction and 35 km from east to west.
For hundreds of millions of years, the current territory of the
city was covered by the ocean and marine sediment, the only land
mass near the existing Coastal
Cordillera. The morphology of the region begin to
take its present form since the late
Paleozoic, when it begins the subduction of the
Nazca Plate under the South American plate, then belonging to the
continent of Gondwana. This subduction generated foldings of the
crust from the Triassic, lifting the rocks that give rise to the
Andes. Subsequently, new activities generate tectonic subsidence of
the great rock mass forming the depression lifted.
At present, Santiago lies mainly in the plain of the basin, with an
altitude between 400 in the western areas and reaching the 540 on
the Plaza Baquedano, presented some hills in the area of Cerrillos.
The metropolitan area has surrounded some of these islands,
mountains, as in the case of Cerro Santa Lucia, Cerro Blanco, the
Renca Calán and that 800 meters is the highest point of the city.
Southwest of the city there is a string of rocky hills several
islands within the highlighting Cerro Chena. To the west are also
presented some of the main stage of the Cordillera de la Costa, the
Oak Hill High with 2185 meters of altitude, and the Maipo River
area alone in the mountain range loses height.
During recent decades, urban growth has expanded the boundaries of
the city to the east closer to the Andean Precordillera allophones
cones existing droppings. Even in areas such as La Dehesa, Lo Curro
and El Arrayan has been reached to overcome the barrier of 1000
meters of altitude. Some low-lying foothills of the Andes emerge
and goes into the basin, as is the If the mountain range of The
Pyramid and the hill Cerro San Cristobal, in the northeastern
sector of Santiago.
To the east, stands the massive call Ramon Sierra, a mountain chain
formed in the foothills of the Precordillera due to the action of
the fault Ramon, reaching 3296 meters at the
Cerro de Ramon. 20 km further east is
the Cordillera of the
Andes with its mountain
ranges and volcanoes, many of which exceed 6,000 m and in which
some glaciers are maintained. The higher the Tupungato volcano with
6570 meters, [17] located near the volcano Tupungatito of 5913
meters of altitude. To the northeast lie Lead Hill (5,424 meters)
and Nevado El Plomo 6070 meters in altitude. [17] To the southeast
of the capital, meanwhile, are located on the Nevado Piuquenes
(6,019 meters) volcano San Jose (5,856 m) and the volcano Maipo
(5,323 m). From these peaks, the Tupungatito as San José and Maipo
are active volcanoes.
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 cold mornings, typical maximum daily temperatures of 15
degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), and minimums of a few
degrees above freezing. Occasional snowfall occurs in the city, and
may extend throughout the city, though this happens infrequently
(about every 8–10 years). Mean rainfall is 360 mm per year and
is heavily concentrated in the cooler months.
Santiago in winter
Santiago in summer
The climate of Santiago is a warm-temperate climate with winter
rainfall and prolonged dry season, better known as continental
Mediterranean climate.
Within the main climatic characteristics of Santiago is the
concentration of about 80% of rainfall during the austral winter
months (May to September), varying between 50 and 80 mm of
rain fall during these months. That amount contrasts with figures
for the months corresponding to a very dry season, caused by an
anticyclonic dominance continued for about seven or eight months,
mainly during the summer months between December and March. This
season, the water drop does not exceed 4 mm on average. These
rains are usually composed only of rain, as the snowfall and hail
is produced mainly in the sectors of the Precordillera about 1500
meters, in some cases, nevazones affect the city but only on its
eastern sectors, where in very rare opportunity extended to the
rest of the city.
The temperatures vary throughout the year from an average of 20°C
in January to 8°C in June and July. In the summer, January is hot,
easily reaching over 30°C and a record high close to 37 °C, while
nights are generally pleasant and slightly cooler without lowering
of 15°C. For his part, during autumn and winter the temperature
drops and is slightly lower than the 10°C, the temperature may even
drop slightly from 0°C, especially during the morning, and its
historic low of -6 , 8°C in 1976.
Santiago's location within a watershed is one of the most important
factors in the climate of the city. The coastal mountain range
serves as a "screen climate" to oppose the spread of marine
influence, contributing to the increase in annual and daily thermal
oscillation (the difference between the maximum and minimum daily
temperatures can reach 14°C) and maintaining low relative humidity
close to an annual average of 70%. It also prevents the entry of
air masses with the exception of some coastal low clouds that
penetrate to the basin through the river valleys.
Prevailing winds are from the southwest direction, with an average
of 15 km / h, especially during the summer as in winter calm
prevail.
Environmental issues
Smog in Santiago
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.
As of March 2007, only 61% of the wastewater in Santiago was
treated, which increased up to 71% by the end of the same year.
However,
the Mapocho
river
, which crosses the city from the north-east to the
south-west of the Central
Valley, remains contaminated by household, agricultural and
industrial sewage, and by upstream copper-mining waste (there are a
number of copper mines in the Andes east of Santiago), which is
dumped unfiltered into the river. Laws force industry and
local governments to process all their wastewater, but are loosely
enforced. 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.
Noise 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).
However, a major
source of Santiago air pollution year-round is the smelter of
El
Teniente
copper
mine. Nevertheless, the government does not
usually report it as being a local pollution source as it is just
outside the reporting area of the Santiago
Metropolitan Region, being 110 km. (70 miles) from
downtown.,
Demographics
Population of Santiago from 1820 to
2020.
Santiago financial district at
night
According to data collected in the 2002 census by the National
Institute of statistics, the Santiago metropolitan area population
reached 5.428.590 inhabitants, equivalent to 35,91 per cent of the
national total and 89,56 % of total regional this figure reflects
broad growth in the population of the city during the 20th century:
in 1907 had 383.587 inhabitants, 1.010.102 in 1940, 2.009.118 in
1960, 3.899.619 in 1982 and 4.729.118 in 1992.(porcentaje de la
población total, 2007)
The growth of Santiago has undergone several changes over the
course of its history. In his early years, had a rate of growth
2,68 per cent annually until the 17TH century, then down to less
than 2 % per year until the early 20th century figures. Middle of
this century was a demographic explosion explaining as, in his
capacity as capital, absorbed on migration from mining camps in
northern Chile during the crisis of the 1930s and from population
from rural sectors between 1940 and 1960, mainly. Lots of migration
coupled with the high fertility rate at that time were reflected in
figures annual growth reached 4.92 per cent between 1952 and 1960.
However, since the end of this century, growth figures been reduced
again, reaching the early 2000s % 1,35. of Similarly, the size of
the city expanded constantly. The 20,000 hectares covering Santiago
in 1960, doubled by 1980 and in 2002 reached 64.140 hectares. Thus
the density of population in Santiago is 8.463,7
inhabitants/Km².
The population of Santiago has been booming over the years,
fertility decreased both the improvement in quality of life. For
2007 is estimated that 32,89 per cent of men and 30,73 per cent of
women were less than 20 years, while 10,23 per cent and 13,43 % had
on the 60 years, respectively. In contrast, in 1990 the figure
under 20 years in total era 38,04 % and 60, a 8,86 %, higher and
for the year 2020 is estimated that both figures will be 26,69 per
cent and 16,79 %.
4.313.719 people in Chile say they were born in one of the communes
of Grand Santiago according to the 2002 census what amounts to
28,54 per cent of the national total. Of the current inhabitants of
Santiago, 67,6 per cent was born in the communes of the
metropolitan area while 2,11 per cent is immigrant alien.
Economy
Avenue Apoquindo, financial
centre
Santiago is the industrial and financial centre of Chile, and
generates 45 percent of the country's
GDP. 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 (Southern Cone), such as
HP, Reuters,
Procter & Gamble, Intel
, Coca-Cola, Unilever,
Nestlé, Kodak,
BHP Billiton, IBM,
Motorola, Microsoft, Ford,
Yahoo!, and many more.
The construction sector is booming in Santiago. Several large
apartment complexes are being built throughout the city and
construction cranes are a common sight.
Currently under
construction is the Costanera Center
, a mega project in Santiago's Financial
District. This includes a mall, a tower, two office towers
of each, and a hotel tall. When completed in 2010 it will be the
tallest building in South America. In January 2009 the retailer in
charge,
Cencosud, has said in a statement
that the construction of the mega-mall would gradually be reduced
until financial uncertainty is cleared.
Near Costanera Center
another skyscraper is being built, Titanium La Portada
, and this will be 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.
Industry
Progress of the Costanera Center and
Titanium La Portada in February 2009.
Santiago Financial centre
Santiago is Chile’s major industrial and agricultural region. The
bulk of Chile’s industrial and commercial activity is concentrated
in the national and regional capital of Santiago, but there are
important farm-supply, marketing, and processing activities at San
Bernardo (location of major railroad shops), Puente Alto (a paper-
and gypsum-processing centre), Melipilla, Talagante, and Buin.
Dairying and beef production are significant; the main crops are
grains, grapes, potatoes, and beans. Copper, gypsum, and limestone
are mined. Marketing is facilitated by the proximity of urban
centres, by main-line railroad communications, and by the
best-developed regional road system in Chile.
Transport
Air
Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez
International Airport
is Santiago's national and international
airport.15 minutes from downtown through the urban highways
(Costanera Norte-Vespucio Norte).
Rail
Trains
operated by Chile's national railway, Empresa de los
Ferrocarriles del Estado, connect Santiago to Chillan
, in the central-southern part of the
country. All such trains arrive and depart from the
Estación
Central
("Central Station") which can be access by bus
or subway.
The routes and coverage are from:
Santiago-San Fernando.
Santiago-Chillán.
Talca-Constitución.
Talcahuano-Hualqui.
Talcahuano-Renaico.
Victoria-Temuco.
Inter-urban buses
Bus companies provide passenger transportation from Santiago to
most areas of the country, while some also provide parcel-shipping
and delivery services.
There are several bus terminals in Santiago:
Terminal San Borja: located near the Metro station "Estación
Central"
Terminal Los Heroes: located near the Metro station "Los
Heroes"
Terminal La Paz: located in the municipality of Independencia, the
closest Metro station is "Puente Cal y Canto"
Terminal Alameda: located near the Metro station "Universidad de
Santiago"
Highways
Toll road, inter-urban
free flow highways
connect the city's extremes, including the Vespucio Highway (which
surrounds the city describing a semi-circle), Autopista Central
(which crosses the city in a North-South direction), and the
Costanera Norte (which runs from the eastern edge, in Las Condes to
the international airport and the highways to Valparaíso on the
western side of the city).
Public transport
Baquedano Metro Station
Estacion Central
Santiago concentrates 37.32% of vehicles in Chile, with a total of
991,838 vehicles, 979,346 of which are motorized. 805,220 cars pass
through the city, which is equivalent to 37.63% of the national and
at a rate of one car for every 7 people. To support this huge
number of cars there is an extensive network of streets and avenues
stretching across Santiago so that you can travel between the
different communities that make up the metropolitan area.
As regards public transport, from the early 1990s have been
conducted with various governmental efforts to resolve the chaotic
system in the city. There were tendered in 1994 for the first time
for the routes of the yellow buses (minibuses identified with the
colour). Despite this, the system had serious problems and
therefore a new transport system, called
Transantiago was devised. This project began
operations on February 10, 2007, combining core services across the
city with a local feeder routes, which have a unified system of
payment through the
contactless
Smartcard beep!. Transantiago, however, has had a series of
errors in design and implementation which have not yet been
resolved which have made it less successful than it otherwise would
be.
Every day, over 2 million people pass through its five lines (1, 2,
4, 4A and 5), extending over 84 km and 89 stations. By 2010,
new extensions to the communes of Maipú and Las Condes, mean the
Metro will expand to more than 105 km in length.
Other local transport systems include 25 thousand taxis ,
identified by black colour cars and yellow roof. With regard to
cycling, in recent years the city has tried to promote the use of
bicycles with the construction of bicycle paths but so far the
number built is limited.
Metro
Santiago Metro map
Currently with 107 operating stations and 16 under construction,
Santiago Metro is South America's
most extensive metro system. The metro system serves the city of
Santiago, Chile. The system carries around 2,400,000 passengers per
day. The Santiago Metro has five operating lines. Two underground
lines (Line 4 and 4A) and an extension of Line 2 was inaugurated
during late 2005 and beginning of 2006. The system is under
expansion, and extensions are going to be built on Lines 1 and 5
throughout 2009 and 2010.
Bus
Transantiago is the name for the city's
public transport system. It works by combining local (feeder) bus
lines, main bus lines and the Metro network. It includes an
integrated fare system, which allows passengers to make bus-to-bus
or bus-to-metro transfers for the price of one ticket, using a
single contactless smartcard. One disadvantage of this system is
the inability to pay cash fares - even at a significantly higher
price than is charged with the smartcard.
Taxi
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
Santiago de Chile lacks a metropolitan government for its
administration, which is currently distributed by various
authorities, which complicates the operation of the city as a
single entity.
With the current structure of the country, it is divided into three
levels (regions, provinces and communes), but Santiago does not fit
perfectly with any of them. The metropolitan area of Santiago was
established in 1976 to encompass locations away from the main
city.
At the provincial level, Greater Santiago overlaps the limits of
the current province of Santiago, so that including the communes of
Cordillera, Maipo and Talagante. At the municipal level, the city
is composed of about thirty of them.
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.
Culture
Municipal Theatre of Santiago
Despite the long history, there are only a few historical buildings
from the Spanish colonial period in the city, because Santiago - as
the rest of the country - was regularly hit by earthquakes. The
buildings from this period include the Casa Colorada (
1769), the Church San Francisco (
1586) and Posada del Corregidor (
1750).Another reason that it lacks old buildings from
this time is the new richness of Chile. At the time of the Spanish
colony, the city had economically only a low impact, the upswing
was only after independence. This explains the low age of many
buildings built mainly in neoclassic style.The Cathedral on the
central square (Plaza de Armas),
1745 according
to plans by Joaquim Toesca built, ranks as the sights as Palacio de
La Moneda, the Classicist Presidential Palace until 1981 showed
even the Einschüsse, General Pinochet troops by the coup against
the democratically elected President Salvador Allende
1973 had left. The original building was between
1784 and
1805 of the
architect Joaquín Toesca. Since
1846, the
Presidential Palace is home to the Government of's.
Contemporary Art Museum of
Santiago
Other buildings at the Plaza de Armas are finished on 1882 and
between
1804 and
1807 built
Palacio de la real Audjencia, of 18. September 1810 - today date of
Nationalfeiertages - met the first Government of the country.The
Centre houses the historical museum with 12,000 exhibits. In the
South-East of the square is the built in 1893 blue Eisenkontruktion
of Edwards Kaufhauses (Edificio commercial Edwards) and the 1769
finished colonial building the "Casa Colorada", the historical city
museumClose is the (Teatro Municipal) Theatre. In 1906 by an
earthquake destroyed building was built of the French architect
Brunet of Edward Baines
1857. Not far from the
theatre the Mansión Subercaseaux (today seat Banco Edwards) and the
National Library (one of the largest libraries of South America).
"" In opposite group the previous National Convention, the law
courts and the Royal custom's House (Palacio real Casa de Aduana)
with the Museum of pre-Columbian art.
Fine Arts Museum
A fire destroyed the building in
1895. It was
then rebuilt and reopened 1901 in neoclassic style. The first
Chilean National Congress was 4. July
1811
decision (
1810) the Government junta in
Santiago formed by. The Congress was deposed under the military
dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (
1973-
1989) and after the dictatorship in Valparaíso on 11.
Newly constituted March
1990.The Plaza Montt is
the building of the Justice Palace (Palacio de Tribun Musicales).
The building was between
1907 and
1926 of the architect Emilio Doyére. It is home to the
Supreme Court (Corte comparison de Justicia). The Kollegialgericht
with 21 judges is the highest judiciary in Chile. The judges be
proposed by the judges of the Supreme Court and appointed by the
President on lifetime. The building is also home of the Supreme
Court of appeal.
At the Plaza Montt is the building of the Justice Palace (Palacio
de Tribunales). The building was created from
1907 to
1926 after plans by the
architect Emilio Doyére. It is the seat of the Supreme Court (Corte
Suprema de Justicia). The panel of 21 judges is the highest
judicial power in Chile. The judges are appointed by the judges of
the Supreme Court and proposed by the President appointed for life.
The building is also headquarters of the Supreme Court of the
country.
Biblioteca Nacional de Chile
Former Congress building
Calle Bandera leads to
1917 completed the
building of the Merchants' Exchange (Bolsa de Comercio), opened the
1925 "Club de la Unión", to the Universidad de
Chile (
1872) and the oldest church in the city,
the Iglesia de San Francisco (
1586 to
1628 built ) with the Mary statue "La Virgen del
Socorro" by Pedro de Valdivia. North of the Plaza de Armas, the
Paseo Puente to Santo Domingo Church (
1771) and
Market (Mercado Central), a powerful iron construction. In the
centre of Santiago is the Torre Entel, a 127.4 meter high TV tower
with observation deck. The tower, completed in
1974. He is one of the telephone company, ENTEL Chile
and serves as a communications centre.
With the Costanera Center, a commercial and architectural landmark
of the capital. When completed in
2009 is a
combination of jobs, housing, shopping and entertainment venues
have been achieved. The project with a total area of 600,000 square
meters, includes the 300-meter high "Gran Torre Costanera" (South
America's tallest building) and three other commercial buildings
with shopping malls, shops, cinemas, an amusement centre,
restaurants, hotels, offices and luxury apartments. The four office
towers extensive building complex is replaced by a highway and
subway connections.
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 a number of jazz establishments, some of them, including
"El Perseguidor", "Thelonious" and "Le Fournil Jazz Club" are
placed in Bellavista, one of Santiago's most hip neighborhoods,
though "Club de Jazz de Santiago", the oldest and most traditional
one is set in Ñuñoa.The city has a vibrant underground music
scene.
Sports
Santiago is home of Chile's most successful football clubs. The
most successful of them is
Colo Colo. It
was founded on April 19, 1925. It has a long tradition and plays
since the establishment of the first Chilean league in 1933
continuously in the highest league. 28
national titles, 10
Copa Chile successes and in 1991 champions of
Copa Libertadores, Chile's only
team that ever won the tournament. The club hosts its home games in
the Estadio Monumental, in the commune of Macul.
Another great club is
CF
Universidad de Chile. The club is considered one of the best
known and most successful with 13 national titles and 3 Copa Chile
successes. It was founded on May 24, 1927 under the name Club
Deportivo Universitario as a union of Club Náutico and Federación
Universitaria. The founders were students of the Universidad de
Chile. 1980, the organization separated from the
University of Chile and the club is now
completely independent. The team plays its home games in the
Estadio Nacional de Chile, in the commune of Ñuñoa.
Club Deportivo
Universidad Católica was founded on April 21, 1937 and is also
often referred to briefly as UC. It consists of fourteen different
departments responsible for the students of the same university are
excluded. Far beyond the borders of Chile is known mainly for his
club soccer team. This team plays its home games in Estadio San
Carlos de Apoquindo. Universidad Católica has 9 national titles,
making it the third most successful football club in the country.
It has played the Copa Libertadores more than 20 times, reaching
the final in 1993, loosing to São Paulo FC.
Several other football clubs are based in Santiago, the most
important of them being
Unión
Española,
Audax
Italiano,
Palestino and
Santiago
Morning.
In addition to playing football in particular tennis and horse
riding (here especially the Chilean Rodeo) plays an important role.
In the entire metropolitan area are distributed Wettstuben in which
mainly the male population of Santiago, the horse racing track at
screens. Completed the 1904 "Hipódromo Chile is located in the
south of the city. Here is a weekly horse racing.
Newspapers
There are
two important companies active in newspaper publishing in Chile:
El
Mercurio
and
Copesa. Both companies have a
conservative and
right-wing editorial
lines. Together, they hold more than the 80% of revenues generated
in printed advertising in Chile.
Some of the most popular newspapers available in Santiago
are:
Recreation
The city's main parks are:
Modern ski resorts within an hour's drive east from the city
include:
Some of the country's most important winegrowing areas lie in the
nearby Maipo and
Aconcagua Valleys.
Several vineyards are located in this area.
Cultural places to visit include:
Main sport venues:
Education
The city is home to numerous universities, colleges and
universities, research institutions and libraries.
The Universidad de Chile is Chile's largest
university and one of the oldest on the American continent. The roots of
the University date back to the year
1622, as
on 19 August the first university in Chile under the name of Santo
Tomás de Aquino was founded. On
28 July
1738, it was named the Real Universidad de
San Felipe in honor of King
Philip V of Spain. In the vernacular, it
is also known as Casa de Bello (Spanish: Bellos house - after their
first Rector, Andrés Bello) known.
On 17 April 1839, after Chile from the
mother country, the Kingdom of Spain
, became independent, was officially to the
University Universidad de Chile, and opened on 17 September
1843.
The
Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) was signed on 21 Founded in
June 1888. On 11 February 1930 was the
university by a decree by
Pope Pius XI. to an appointed Pontifical University,
1931, the full recognition by the Chilean
government.
Joaquín
Larrain Gandarillas (
1822-
1897),
Archbishop of
Anazarba, was the founder and first rector of the PUC. The PUC
is a modern university, the campus of San Joaquin has a number of
contemporary buildings and also offers many parks and sports
facilities.
Religion
Santiago's Metropolitan
Cathedral
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 themselves as being
Jehovah's Witnesses, while 0.9%
identified themselves as
Latter-day
Saints (Mormons), 0.25% as
Jewish, 0.11%
as
Orthodox and 0.03% as
Muslim. 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.
Gallery
File:Santiago do Chile.JPG|File:Club de la Unión.jpg|File:Santiago
Chile.jpg|File:Centre-ville
Santiago.jpg|File:BCS.jpg|File:Scl.jpg|File:Santiagocentro.jpg|File:PaseoBulnes.jpg|Paseo
bulnesFile:PaseoAhumada.jpg|Paseo
ahumadaFile:Inverno.jpg|VitacuraFile:Santiago Puro chile es tu
cielo azulado.jpg|AlamedaFile:Alameda - Santiago de Chile.jpg|Entel
tower
Higher education
Traditional
Non-traditional
Other
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Santiago is
twinned with:
References
External links