V REGION: TECHNICAL DATA

TECHNICAL DATA

 

LOCATION AND ACCESS

Valparaíso, the capital of the region, is located 118 km. northwest of Santiago. You can get access to Valparaíso by bus. Buses depart for Valparaíso every 1/2 hour, and they go by Ruta 68 highway. It takes 1 1/2 hour to get to this city.

GENERAL ASPECTS

SUPERFICIES

The region has a superficies of 16, 396. 1 km².

WEATHER

The average temperature reaches 14.8 ºC, with an annual rainfall average of 300 mm. The Region presents four different types of weather: temperate in the coastal zone; cold in the Cordillera zone; warm in the central section; and subtropical (warm and humid) in Easter Island, due to its oceanic and subtropical location.

POPULATION

1, 384, 336 inhabitants, according to 1992 census.

ECONOMY

The Region has different economical activities, such as: agriculture and fruit growing in the region s valleys; forestry activity, specially "insigne" pine trees; fishing activity, in which most part of the production goes to the canned food and fish meal industries, also lobster farming both in Easter Island and Juan Fernández Island. The industrial sector is mainly based on food, tobacco and beverages production; sulfur copper mines constitute the mining activity; thanks to its proximity with Santiago, the Capital of Chile, tourist activity is greatly developed and also diverse: here you can find beaches, hot springs, snow, national parks, religious sites, folklore, gastronomy, special events, mountains and valleys.

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

The Region is divided into the following provinces:

PETORCA PROVINCE

One of the main cities of this province is La Ligua, which is well-known for its handcrafted pastries and wooden creations. In this province you can find Papudo, Zapallar and Cachagua beaches, which have exuberant houses, exclusive boarding houses and little fishing ports. Zapallar is characterized by its summer mansions, which are built either with stone or raw wood. Cabildo town is situated in the Cordillera de Los Andes area. Here you can find ancient native cemeteries, petroglyphs and legendary historical sites.

SAN FELIPE DE ACONCAGUA PROVINCE

San Felipe is the most important commercial center of the province. In this city you can find cultural attractions, such as Curimón Convent, del Buen Pastor Church and many valleys, in which fruit and vegetables are grown, due to the excellent weather conditions.

In Putaendo, a mining, agricultural and fruit-growing city, we can find a Parish Church, El Parrón Baths, Rinconada de Silva Sanctuary, Vicuña Piguchén Ranch, and the house where J. Antonio Salinas was born.

Jahuel Hot Springs, which is located in the Cordillera, is an old, traditional spa where you can rest and recover your health. Panquehue is a well-known village thanks to its wine production and exportation fruit, such as grapes, nectarines, peaches, damsons and plums. In Catemu, a mining and agricultural community, an important Chilean country festivity is celebrated. Llay Llay is mainly an agricultural and mining zone.

LOS ANDES PROVINCE

One of the most important attractions of this province is Portillo Winter Center. Del Inca lagoon is located next to the hotel.

San Esteban village has many important hot springs resorts, such as El Corazón and Cariño Botado. The water springs at an average temperature 22 ºC.

Los Andes city, which is a traditional communication center with other countries thanks to its road that provides access to Mendoza, Argentina, is the principal access gate for Argentinean, Brazilian, Uruguayan, and Paraguayan tourists. This Province is ran through by Juncal and Blanco rivers. We can find here the Sanctuary of Santa Teresa de Los Andes, an archaeological museum, "cala" clay handcrafting and the historical site El Salto del Soldado.

QUILLOTA PROVINCE

Quillota has ideal weather conditions for the cultivation of chirimoyas, avocado pears and prickly pears. In its Plaza de Armas (parade square) we can find a carved cypress and four sculptures representing the four seasons of the year.

The main economical activity of Limache, a town full of country houses built in at the beginning of the century, is fruit growing.

Olmué, an agricultural community, is well-known for its folkloric festival and for La Campana National Park, which is inhabited by many fauna species, such as giant hummingbirds, owls, among others. The Chilean palm tree is the typical flora species found here.

VALPARAÍSO PROVINCE

Valparaíso, the Capital of the Region, is the house of the National Congress and it is the most important port of the country.

Some interesting attractions are Iquique Heroes Monument, and Sotomayor and Anibal Pinto Squares. Other attractions are its typical elevators, which transport people from the city to the hills and allow tourists to get a panoramic view of the bay. Some of these are Artillería, Polanco, Barón and Florida. Churches are also a very attractive view: La Matriz Church, De Los Sagrados Corazones Church, Santo Domingo Church and the Cathedral. Its promenades and balconies, such as 21 de Mayo, Atkinson and Gervasoni lead to different museums of the city: Natural History Museum, Naval and Maritime Museum, Fine Arts Museum, Open Museum and Pablo Neruda s La Sebastiana Museum. The principal attraction for Latin American tourists are the diverse and abundant beaches, which are located along the coastal zone: Portales, Las Torpederas, San Mateo, Laguna Verde y Las Docas.

Viña del Mar

It is known by the name of "the garden city", because of its ornamentation full of plants, meadows, and bushes. Some of the city s attractions are: the flower clock, the Botanical Garden, the Casino, Vergara and Rioja Palaces, Sausalito Lagoon, where you can find the municipal football stadium, and the beaches, such as Reñaca, Caleta Abarca, Las Salinas and Acapulco. You can take a city tour by horse-powered carriages. Every first two weeks of February, this city holds the Festival Internacional de la Canción (International Musical festival).

Other beautiful places are: Quintero, Concón and Horcón beaches and Peñuelas National Reservation, which is a park where fishing and camping can be practiced. Apart from being the main attraction of this Reservation, Peñuelas Lake is also the principal water supply source of the Region.

Juan Fernández Archipelago is part of this Province. It is known by the name of one of its islands, Robinson Crusoe, which was an inspiration for the famous novel. Due to its unique geographical characteristics, and its flora and fauna this place was declared a Biosphere Reservation.

SAN ANTONIO PROVINCE

Just as Valparaíso, an intense commercial activity is carried out in San Antonio Port. Their old mansions and undulating streets are some of its typical characteristics.

This province has many beach towns, such as El Quisco, which has some beautiful beaches (Los Corsarios, Las Conchitas, Punta de Tralca). One of the most important of these beach towns is Cartagena, which in the 1900 s used to be an elite place. Today, it is one the most popular beaches due to its proximity with Santiago. Here you can find many beaches, fishing little ports and the grave of the poet Vicente Huidobro. Algarrobo is a beach town that has beautiful beaches with turquoise-colored waters, such as El Pejerrey, El Canelo and El Canelillo, where regatta competitions are held. Santo Domingo, which is one of the most exclusive and beautiful beach towns of this region, has sumptuous houses, splendid gardens and parks, golf clubs and squares. Other attractions of this town are its beaches: Sur, de los Enamorados, Larga río Maipo y la Puntilla. We can also find in this Province: El Yali National Reservation, Golf Clubs, Isla Negra beach (Pablo Neruda s House-Museum), El Tabo beach (forests, beaches and ravines), Las Cruces and San Sebastián beaches.

EASTER ISLAND PROVINCE

Easter Island is located 3,760 km. from the continent. It is well-known for its archaeological sites, such as Orongo, Rano Kau, Ahu Vinapu, Tahai; Ahu A Kivi, Ahu Heki-Ahua y Te pito Kura; its beaches: Anakena, La Perouse, Ovahe, Sebastián Englert Museum, the municipal market, and the forestry tree nursery. Its main cultural attractive are the huge rocky sculptures (either extended or erected) called "moais", which still represent an archaeological mystery.

 

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