Santiago, Chile

Santiago (officially in Spanish Santiago de Chile) is Chile's capital and largest city, located at {{coor dms|33|26|16|S|70|39|02|W}}. 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.

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.

Museums

Museums include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• 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)
• 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, presidential palace

Main soccer stadiums:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• National Stadium
• Estadio David Arellano (Monumental)
• Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo