Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of seven million, representing 40% of Chile's total population. Most of the city is situated between 500–650 m (1,640–2,133 ft) above sea level.
Image: Santiago de Chile, Desde Cerro San Cristóbal (cropped panorama)
Image: Palacio de La Moneda miguelreflex
Image: Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, 2012 09 08
Image: Chile Santiago 24 Virgin Mary statue on Cerro San Cristóbal (6977789601)
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. With an area of 756,102 square kilometers (291,933 sq mi) and a population of 17.5 million as of 2017, Chile shares borders with Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. The country also controls several Pacific islands, including Juan Fernández, Isla Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island, and claims about 1,250,000 square kilometers (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica as the Chilean Antarctic Territory. The capital and largest city of Chile is Santiago, and the national language is Spanish.
The Chinchorro mummies, the oldest of which are from around 5050 BCE.
Pedro Lira's 1888 painting of the founding of Santiago by Pedro de Valdivia at Huelén Hill.
Generals José de San Martín (left) and Bernardo O'Higgins (right) during the crossing of the Andes.
Painting of Diego Portales. The Constitution of 1833 has been seen as the embodiement of the "Portalian thought".