Visitor Guide Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean OREALC/UNESCO Santiago CHILE Southwest of South America, Chile is located between 17º 30' and 90º south latitude. Its continental longitude is approximately 4,200 km, or 8,000 km if you consider the Chilean Antarctica. Easter Island ‘Isla de Pascua’ or ‘Rapa Nui’, the Archipelago of Juan Fernandez, San Felix, San Ambrosio, Sala and Gomez Islands are also part of the Chilean Territory. BORDERS. Chile shares a common border with Peru to the North, with Bolivia and Argentina to the East, to the West, it limit is the Pacific Ocean, and to the South, the South Pole. SURFACE. Continental territory and islands: 756,626 km2 Antarctic territory 1,250,000 km2 Total area: 2,006,626 km2. TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION. In 1979, Chile was divided into thirteen regions, which are subdivided into provinces, which, in turn, are divided into communes. Each region is associated to a Roman numeral in order from North to South, except for the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, the only region without access to the ocean. Upon the creation of two new regions, the numeration of the regions lost its meaning, and now the Chilean use de names of the each region (ex. Región de los Lagos). To date, the country is made up of 15 regions, 54 provinces and 346 communes. GOVERNMENT SYSTEM. The current constitution has been in force since 1980. The State is separated in to three powers: Executive Power, exercised by the President of the Republic; Legislative Power, shared by the House of Representatives and the Senate; and Judicial Power. The current president of Chile is Michelle Bachelet Jeria, of the Socialist party, which is part of the Nueva Mayoría (Center-Left). This political alliance took on the presidency on 11 March, 2014. STATISTICS. Chile’s nearly 17,6 million inhabitants, in average, are among the highest regional rates of human development, percentage of globalization, GDP per capita, level of economic growth and quality of life. Human Development Index (UNDP, 2014). Rank 41, 0,822 (1) GDP per capita according to the World Bank (http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicador/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/countries/1W?display=default) Year 2014 US$ 14.520 The improving life conditions of the chilean people (the highest in South America) has caused life expectancy to increase to 79.57 years of age in 2012. In 2007, fertility rate dropped to 1,83 per woman its lowest historical level. The mortality rate is 5.51‰, while the rate of infant mortality has decreased to 7.36‰. These figures project an ageing process in which by the year 2020, most of the population will be over 35 years old. 2 Chile’s strong economic indicators show an important decrease in poverty rate. However, the same year the Gini coefficient was 0.50, revealing an important unattended shortage in the economy: inequity. The top fifth decile earns 35 times more than the bottom fifth decile. In February 2010 a major earthquake (8.8 on the Richter scale), followed by a tsunami, affected the central- southern regions of Chile, its most populated area and historically considered the motor of its economy. One month after the earthquake, the estimated damage cost in infrastructure and national production was aproximately 30 billion USD. Santiago Founded on 12 February 1541 by the Spanish conqueror Pedro de Valdivia, Santiago became the capital of the new nation, with the independence of Chile in 1810. Today, Santiago is a modern metropolis with nearly seven million inhabitants. The Great Santiago covers 140 thousand square meters, with 35 km from north to south and 40 km from east to west, due to suburban expansion. Located in the central valley east of the Andes Mountains, the city is located on a slope between the 500 and 1000 meters above sea level. The imposing presence of the mountain range with heights of over 6 thousand meters near the city is visible from all points of the metropolis. The Cordillera is the foremost reference point, at the east, the north to left and right, south. The city has a civic center that forms a triangular area bounded at the north by the Mapocho River. In the center and its large neighborhoods and parks, there are museums, old buildings, churches and beautiful parks. More modern offices and residential properties are located toward the mountains, the east (or "up", in local jargon), with neighborhoods of Providencia (where OREALC/UNESCO Santiago is located), Las Condes, Lo Barnechea, Vitacura, among other things. In order to become familiar with the city and to ensure a pleasant stay, we suggest to explore the more traditional neighborhoods, museums and monuments, walking through the new neighborhoods with their art galleries, luxury hotels, parks, pedestrian walks and cultural centers. Guided tours are recommendable. CLIMATE. The city is located in the central zone. The type of climate is Mediterranean, with defined seasons: Spring, between September and November. Mild, fresh weather reaching 28°C. Nights may be chilly, with temperatures between 6º C (43º F) a 12º C (54º F). Summer, between December and February, with hot, dry weather, no rain and temperatures that may rise above 30º C (87º F). Nights are fresh and pleasant, with an average of 18º C (64º F). Autumn, between March and May, with fresh weather and gradually decreasing temperature that comes to reach 18º C (64º F) and rain begins to appear. At night, the thermometer may drop to 5º C (41º F). Winter, between June and September, cold weather. Mornings and nights have minimum temperatures that may drop to -2º C (28º F). Although temperature rises during the day, it rarely exceeds 15º C (60º F). The mountains near the city become covered with snow, making the perceived temperature even lower than the actual temperature. Rainfall is concentrated between March and September (autumn and winter). Sometimes it snows in Santiago during the winter, especially in the higher zones of the city. Attractions DOWNTOWN. The Civic Center or Barrio Cívico is located around the Palace of Government (Palacio de La Moneda). It is made up of the Constitution Plaza (Plaza de la Constitución), Bulnes Plaza and the Bulnes pedestrian street, Ahumada pedestrian walkway (Paseo Ahumada), Plaza de Armas (Santiago’s main square) and the civic, cultural and religious buildings in the surroundings, including Cerro Santa Lucía, where Santiago was founded. PLAZA DE ARMAS. It marks “point zero” of Chile, the starting point from where distances are measured in the whole country. This is where the city was born here and in its surroundings there are historic landmarks, such as 3 the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Historical Museum (formerly the Royal Palace of Audience) and the Municipality of Santiago, among others. Paseo Ahumada, the main pedestrian walk in Santiago is located in this area. (Plaza de Armas Metro Station, line 5) MERCADO CENTRAL. The Central Market, opened in 1872, is a picturesque site originally intended for national artists’ exhibition. Afterwards, it was transformed into a market. There are now several restaurants specializing in seafood, such as “Donde Augusto”. There are market stands where local people buy sea products (Plaza de Armas Metro Station, line 5 / Cal y Canto Metro Station, line 2) PALACIO DE LA MONEDA. Built in the eighteenth century, the Palace of Government was foremerly the Royal Mint Palace of Chile. It was later turned into the seat of government. Plaza de la Constitution is locate at the forefront. Below the building, the Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda houses several national and international cultural exhibitions. This cultural center also includes the national film library, Cineteca Nacional. www.ccplm.cl/. (Moneda Metro Station, line 1) CERRO SANTA LUCÍA. Santa Lucía Hill is where Santiago was founded, and is one of the city’s “green lungs”. At the peak there are old Spanish constructions that simulate medieval forts. (Santa Lucia Metro Station, line 1) CERRO SAN CRISTÓBAL (PARQUE METROPOLITANO). San Cristobal Hill, the Metropolitan Park, is the main recreational area of the city and one of its main attractions. The best time to visit is a sunny day right after rain, for an impressive view of the city and the Andes covered with snow. To get to the top, the best way is to take the trolley (funicular). The station is at the end of Pio Nono street in Bellavista (Monday thru Friday, from 9:45 AM to 8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays from 9:45 AM to 8:30 PM) (Baquedano Metro Station, line 1). Museums Most museums are open Tuesday through Saturday between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM and on Sundays only in the morning. Some are free and some charge a fairly inexpensive admission. MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES. (Parque Forestal). The National Museum of Fine Arts is one of the main centers for disseminating visual arts in Chile. It is located in the area of Parque Forestal. www.mnba.cl/. (Bellas Artes Metro Station, line 5) MUSEO CHILENO DE ARTE PRE-COLOMBINO. (Bandera 361) The Chilean Museum of Precolombian Art is considered one of the world’s best museums in its area (pottery, sculpture, painting, etc.) illustrating the evolution of the american people and their evolution. www.precolombino.cl/. Tel. 688 7348 (Plaza de Armas Metro Station, line 1) CENTRO CULTURAL GABRIELA MISTRAL (GAM) Avenida Bernardo O'Higgins (Alameda) 227. Cultural center focuses on improving access to culture and assembling viewers; spreading artistic creations from the theater, dance, classical and popular music, visual arts and folk art. The 22 thousand square meters of surface, formerly occupied by the Diego Portales Building, houses ten rooms for theater, dance, and music rehearsals and shows; plus two seminar rooms, two visual arts rooms and a recording studio.