City South America
Santiago
Santiago is the capital city of Chile. Tall, snowy mountains called the Andes rise next to it. A cable car carries people up a big hill in the city.
Santiago, the capital and largest city of Chile, lies in a basin in central Chile with the high Andes to the east. Founded by the Spanish in 1541, it mixes colonial churches with the tallest skyscraper in the city, the 300-meter Gran Torre Costanera. About 5.25 million people lived in the city in 2017.
Santiago, Chile's capital since 1818, was founded in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia on the Mapocho River, in a basin of central Chile overlooked by the Andes. It grew into the country's dominant metropolis, its industrial, financial and railway center; Britannica gives 5,250,565 people for the city and 6,562,300 for Greater Santiago in 2017. It lies in an earthquake-prone region and was damaged by the magnitude-8.8 quake of 2010.
Photo: Omnespsx (D•ES), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Santiago
Santiago is the capital city of Chile.
Chile is a long, thin country in South America. Santiago is in the middle of it. Giant mountains with snow on top rise beside the city.
Santiago is the capital and largest city of Chile, a long, narrow country on the west coast of South America. It lies in central Chile, beside the Mapocho River, with views of the high peaks of the Andes to the east. About 5.25 million people lived in the city in 2017, and about 6.56 million in Greater Santiago.
Santiago is Chile's busiest city: the center of its railways, banks and factories. Shiny modern skyscrapers rise next to old colonial churches and stately neighborhoods.
Santiago lies on the canalized Mapocho River in the Santiago basin of central Chile, the 'Central Nucleus' where the country's major cities grew; the Andes rise to the east and the port of Valparaíso lies about 110 km (70 miles) to the west. Britannica counted 5,250,565 people in the city and 6,562,300 in Greater (Gran) Santiago in 2017, one of the most populous urban areas in Latin America.
Greater Santiago is the hub of Chile's industry, producing foodstuffs, textiles, shoes and clothing, with metallurgy and copper mining also important, and its financial sector includes a stock exchange and major banks and insurers. Britannica describes a dynamic, cosmopolitan, fast-paced city whose skyline of sleek towers contrasts with historic neighborhoods and colonial architecture.
- Country
- Chile (capital)
- People in the city (2017)
- 5,250,565
- People in Greater Santiago (2017)
- 6,562,300
- Founded
- 1541, by Pedro de Valdivia
Famous places
Santiago has a very tall glass tower.
It is called the Gran Torre Costanera. It is the tallest building in the city. In the old center there is a palace where the president works, and a big old church.
The Gran Torre Costanera, finished in 2014, is 300 meters tall, the tallest building in the city and one of the tallest in Latin America. In the old center stands La Moneda Palace, begun in 1784 as a mint for making coins; today it is where Chile's president and several ministries work.
The Metropolitan Cathedral took more than 150 years to build, from 1748 to 1906. The San Francisco Church is one of the city's oldest buildings. The National Fine Arts Museum, completed in 1910, holds Chile's main collection of paintings and sculptures.
Colonial and modern Santiago stand side by side. The San Francisco Church began as a chapel founded by Valdivia in 1554; after an earthquake destroyed it in 1583, Franciscan monks rebuilt it, and it holds one of Chile's most significant collections of colonial art. The Metropolitan Cathedral, built between 1748 and 1906, blends styles from several centuries. La Moneda, begun in 1784 as the mint and opened in 1805, became the president's residence and is now the seat of the executive branch and a public cultural site.
The French-style Cousiño Palace (1878), built for a family enriched by Atacama silver mines, is now a museum, and Emilio Jéquier's National Fine Arts Museum (1910) recalls the Petit Palais in Paris. Modern landmarks include the 300 m Gran Torre Costanera (2014), the tallest building in the city, and the Bahá'í Temple of South America (2016), whose nine glass 'veils' form a dome shaped like a flower bud. The National Library (1813) is one of Latin America's oldest and largest.
- Gran Torre Costanera (2014)
- 300 m, tallest building in the city
- La Moneda Palace
- begun 1784, opened 1805
- Metropolitan Cathedral
- built 1748–1906
- National Library of Chile
- founded 1813
From frontier town to capital
Long ago, the Picunche people lived in this valley.
Then Spanish soldiers came and built a town in 1541. They laid out streets like a checkerboard. Much later, Chile became its own country, and Santiago became its capital.
The valley was home to the Picunche people when the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia founded the city in 1541. He called it Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, "Santiago of the New Frontier," and placed the Picunche under the rule of the Spanish settlers. The first town fit between two arms of the Mapocho River and a hill used as a lookout.
Under Spanish rule the city grew slowly, keeping its checkerboard of streets. Chile fought for independence from 1810 to 1818, and in 1818 Santiago became the capital of the new republic. After that, the country's wealth flowed into the city, and it grew in every direction.
Valdivia founded Santiago del Nuevo Extremo in 1541 in land inhabited by the Picunche, who were placed under the settlers' rule. The site was bounded by two arms of the Mapocho and by Huelén Hill (later Santa Lucía), a lookout to the east. Growth was slow under colonial rule, and the checkerboard plan held until the early 1800s, when the city expanded north, south and especially west; the southern arm of the Mapocho was drained to become the promenade now called the Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins.
The War of Independence (1810–18) barely touched the city, since the decisive Battle of Maipú was fought west of it, and Santiago became the republic's capital in 1818. In 1973 a military coup led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet overthrew the elected president, Salvador Allende, during an attack on La Moneda; the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, opened in 2010, commemorates the victims of human rights violations under the dictatorship. In February 2010 a magnitude-8.8 earthquake centered about 325 km to the southwest damaged the city.
Getting around Santiago
In Santiago, people ride trains under the ground.
A cable car glides up San Cristóbal Hill. From the top, you can see the whole city and the mountains!
Santiago has a subway system that carries people across the city, and it is the center of Chile's railways. Highways run west and northwest to the ports of San Antonio and Valparaíso on the Pacific Ocean, so goods can reach ships.
In the Metropolitan Park, a cable car carries visitors up San Cristóbal Hill, the highest point in the city. International flights use the airport at Pudahuel, on the edge of the city.
Britannica describes Santiago as the center of Chile's railroads, with highways linking it to the ports of San Antonio to the west and Valparaíso to the northwest, its outlets to the Pacific. Within the city there is a subway system. International air service uses the airport at Pudahuel; there are two smaller civil airports, Lo Castillo and Tobalaba, and the military airport of El Bosque.
In the Central Valley to the south, a chain of secondary cities, Rancagua, Curicó, Talca, Chillán and Los Angeles, is linked to Santiago by rail and the Pan-American Highway. In the Metropolitan Park, a cable car climbs San Cristóbal Hill, whose summit gives panoramic views across the basin.
- Railways
- Santiago is the center of Chile's rail network
- Ports on the Pacific
- San Antonio and Valparaíso, by road
- Main airport
- international airport at Pudahuel
Weather and seasons
In Santiago, summer comes in January, and it is hot and dry.
It almost never rains in summer! In winter, from June to August, it is cool, and that is when most of the rain falls.
Santiago is south of the equator, so its summer comes in December, January and February. Summer days are hot and dry: in January, highs average about 30 °C, but nights cool down to about 13 °C. Winter is cool, with July highs around 15 °C and lows around 4 °C.
Santiago is quite dry, with only about 330 millimeters of rain a year. Most of it falls in the cooler months, from May to August; in summer there is hardly any rain at all.
World Meteorological Organization normals (1981–2010) show a large daily swing: January's mean daily maximum is 30.1 °C and minimum 13.3 °C; July's are 15.3 °C and 3.9 °C. Monthly rainfall is under 2 mm from December to February and peaks at about 83 mm in June, with June and July averaging 7 rainy days each; Britannica gives Santiago an annual mean of 14 °C and about 330 mm (13 inches) of rain.
Britannica notes that rainfall along the Central Valley increases gradually southward from Santiago, with about 330 mm, to Puerto Montt, with about 1,850 mm (73 inches), and that if snow falls in central Chile it does not stay on the ground for long.
- January, average daily high and low
- about 30 °C and 13 °C
- July, average daily high and low
- about 15 °C and 4 °C
- Rain in a year
- about 330 mm
Living in Santiago
Santiago has a giant park on a hill.
It has swimming pools, a zoo and a place to look at the stars. Each neighborhood is different. One is full of art galleries.
The Metropolitan Park is the largest park in Santiago. It has two outdoor swimming pool areas, an observatory for looking at the stars, a botanical garden and the National Zoo, and its hill, San Cristóbal, gives views of the whole city.
Each neighborhood has its own character. Bellavista is known for art galleries, restaurants and the home of the poet Pablo Neruda. Barrio Italia shows the influence of immigrants, especially from Italy. Santiago is also a city of learning, with the University of Chile, founded in 1842, and the National Library, founded in 1813.
Britannica describes a dynamic, cosmopolitan cultural life and a fast pace. Barrio Bellavista, once home to the poet Pablo Neruda, is known for galleries, nightlife and dining; Vitacura for fine dining and high-end shops; and Barrio Italia for the influence of immigrant communities, particularly Italian. The University of Chile (1842), the Pontifical Catholic University (1888) and the State Technical University (1947) lead higher education, and the National Library (1813) and National Archives are here.
The Metropolitan Park, the city's largest, includes two swimming pool complexes, an astronomical observatory, a botanical garden and the National Zoo; San Cristóbal Hill, at its southwest end, is the highest point in Santiago. Living in an earthquake-prone region shapes the city: the 2010 earthquake caused a nationwide blackout affecting 93 percent of Chileans and damaged 370,000 homes across the country.
- Metropolitan Park
- the largest park in the city
- University of Chile
- founded 1842
- Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
- founded 1888
Santiago on the map
Find Santiago on the globe.
Look for Chile, the long, thin country on the west side of South America. Santiago is in the middle, between the sea and the big mountains.
Santiago is in central Chile, in a valley between the Andes to the east and lower coastal mountains to the west. It sits about 575 meters above sea level, beside the Mapocho River.
The Pacific Ocean is not far away: the port of Valparaíso is about 110 kilometers west of the city. South of Santiago, the Central Valley stretches away, with farms and smaller cities.
Santiago lies at about 33.4° S and 70.7° W, at roughly 575 m in the Santiago basin of central Chile, on the Mapocho River. The Andes rise to the east; between the basin and the Pacific lie the older, lower coastal ranges, seldom above about 2,000 m. Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, Chile's second-largest population center, lie about 110 km to the west.
South of the basin, the Central Valley holds a line of agricultural cities connected to Santiago by rail and the Pan-American Highway. The city stands in an earthquake-prone region on the western edge of South America.
- Latitude
- about 33.4° south
- Longitude
- about 70.7° west
- Height above sea level
- about 575 m
- Valparaíso
- about 110 km to the west
Amazing facts
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Santiago's first name meant "Santiago of the New Frontier."
Pedro de Valdivia named the city Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, "Santiago of the New Frontier."
Valdivia's 1541 foundation was named Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, 'Santiago of the New Frontier'.
-
A big street in Santiago used to be part of a river.
One arm of the Mapocho River was drained and turned into a promenade, now the Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins.
In the early 1800s the southern arm of the Mapocho was drained and converted into a public promenade, today the Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins.
-
La Moneda Palace was first built to make coins.
La Moneda means "the Mint": the palace was built to make coins before it became the president's home.
La Moneda, begun in 1784 and opened in 1805, was built as the mint before becoming the presidential residence and seat of the executive.
-
A temple in Santiago is shaped like a flower bud.
The Bahá'í Temple of South America, opened in 2016, has nine glass "veils" shaped like a flower bud that let light in.
The Bahá'í Temple of South America (2016) is built of nine glass veils forming a curved, bud-shaped dome that filters light.
-
The hill where Santiago began was used as a lookout.
Santa Lucía Hill, once called Huelén, was the lookout on the eastern edge of the first town.
Huelén Hill, renamed Santa Lucía, served as the lookout bounding the original site to the east, with the Mapocho's two arms on the other sides.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a country's government meets
- basin
- a low area of land surrounded by higher land
- conquistador
- a Spanish soldier and explorer who took over lands in the Americas
- mint
- a place where coins are made
- earthquake
- a sudden shaking of the ground caused by movement deep in the Earth
- cable car
- a cabin pulled up and down a slope by a moving cable
- skyscraper
- a very tall building
Discovery challenge
-
Which mountains rise beside Santiago?
Which mountain range rises to the east of Santiago?
Santiago's basin is overlooked to the east by which range?
- The Andes
- The Alps
- The Himalayas
Show the answer
The Andes
The Andes! They are very tall mountains.
The Andes, whose high peaks can be seen from the city.
The Andes; lower, older coastal ranges lie between the basin and the Pacific.
-
What was La Moneda Palace first built to make?
La Moneda means "the Mint." What was it first built to make?
Before it became the seat of Chile's executive, what was La Moneda (begun 1784) built to do?
- Coins
- Bread
- Cars
Show the answer
Coins
Coins! Now the president works there.
Coins. It later became the president's residence.
Mint coins; it opened in 1805 and later became the presidential residence.
-
When does it rain most in Santiago?
In which season does almost all of Santiago's rain fall?
Santiago's rainfall peaks in which months?
- In winter, around June and July
- In summer, around January
- Every day of the year
Show the answer
In winter, around June and July
In winter! Summer is almost completely dry.
In winter. From December to February there is hardly any rain.
In winter: June is wettest at about 83 mm, while December to February each get under 2 mm.
-
How do people ride up San Cristóbal Hill?
What carries visitors to the top of San Cristóbal Hill?
Which transport reaches the summit of San Cristóbal Hill in the Metropolitan Park?
- A cable car
- A submarine
- A camel
Show the answer
A cable car
A cable car! It swings up the hill.
A cable car, to the highest point in the city.
A cable car; the summit is the highest point in Santiago.
-
When was Santiago started?
In which year did Pedro de Valdivia found Santiago?
In which year was Santiago del Nuevo Extremo founded?
- 1541
- 1818
- 2014
Show the answer
1541
1541! That is almost 500 years ago.
1541. It became the capital of independent Chile in 1818.
1541; 1818 is when it became the republic's capital, and 2014 when the Costanera was completed.
Nearby places
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Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a busy port on Chile's Pacific coast, built around a bay on steep hills. Founded in 1536, it became the leading port on South America's Pacific coast in the late 1800s. Its historic quarter, with hillside neighborhoods and funicular "elevators," is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Chile's National Congress meets here.
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Natural wonder
Aconcagua
Aconcagua, in the Andes of Argentina near the border with Chile, is the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. Its height has been measured several ways: a 2012 expedition backed by Argentina's National Geographic Institute found 6,960.8 meters. Aconcagua formed from an old volcano, but it is not an active volcano today, and climbers first reached its top in 1897.
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Concepción
Concepción is one of the largest cities of Chile, in the south-central part of the country, near where the Biobío River meets the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1550 and moved to its present site after a great earthquake, it is now a center of industry and learning. Its commune had 230,375 people at the 2024 census.
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Natural wonder
Atacama Desert
The Atacama is a cool desert in northern Chile, squeezed between the Pacific coast and the Andes mountains, about 1,000 to 1,100 kilometers long. It is one of the driest places on Earth: the city of Arica, on its coast, averages less than 1 millimeter of rain a year. Its dry, clear air makes it a top place for giant telescopes.
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Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, lies on the Río de la Plata, 240 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. Founded twice, in 1536 and 1580, it grew into South America's largest port and a city of wide avenues, lively neighborhoods and the tango. About 3.1 million people lived in the city in 2022.
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Natural wonder
Andes
The Andes run down the whole western side of South America, from the Caribbean coast to the continent's southern tip, through seven countries. Britannica measures them at about 8,900 kilometers, and their highest peak, Aconcagua, rises to 6,959 meters. They are still growing as one plate of Earth's crust slides under another, which is why the Andes have so many volcanoes and earthquakes.
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Explore next
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Country
Chile
Chile stretches about 4,300 kilometers along the west coast of South America, between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, but it averages only about 180 kilometers wide. Its north holds one of the driest deserts on Earth, and its south is cold, wet and full of fjords and ice.
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Watch
Natural wonder
Andes
The Andes run down the whole western side of South America, from the Caribbean coast to the continent's southern tip, through seven countries. Britannica measures them at about 8,900 kilometers, and their highest peak, Aconcagua, rises to 6,959 meters. They are still growing as one plate of Earth's crust slides under another, which is why the Andes have so many volcanoes and earthquakes.
-
Watch
Natural wonder
Aconcagua
Aconcagua, in the Andes of Argentina near the border with Chile, is the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. Its height has been measured several ways: a 2012 expedition backed by Argentina's National Geographic Institute found 6,960.8 meters. Aconcagua formed from an old volcano, but it is not an active volcano today, and climbers first reached its top in 1897.
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Watch
City
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a busy port on Chile's Pacific coast, built around a bay on steep hills. Founded in 1536, it became the leading port on South America's Pacific coast in the late 1800s. Its historic quarter, with hillside neighborhoods and funicular "elevators," is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Chile's National Congress meets here.
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Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, lies on the Río de la Plata, 240 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. Founded twice, in 1536 and 1580, it grew into South America's largest port and a city of wide avenues, lively neighborhoods and the tango. About 3.1 million people lived in the city in 2022.
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Concepción
Concepción is one of the largest cities of Chile, in the south-central part of the country, near where the Biobío River meets the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1550 and moved to its present site after a great earthquake, it is now a center of industry and learning. Its commune had 230,375 people at the 2024 census.
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Bogotá
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Curitiba
Curitiba is the capital of the state of Paraná, in southern Brazil, about 930 meters above the sea. About 1.8 million people live there (2025). The city is famous around the world for its bus rapid transit, begun in 1974, and for the lakes, flood-control systems and parks it built from the 1970s.
For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Santiago in central Chile, between the Andes and the Pacific.
- Describe how Santiago grew from a Spanish colonial town into a capital.
- Explain why Santiago's rain falls mostly in winter, south of the equator.
- Describe how living in an earthquake region affects a city.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Santiago is close to both high mountains and the sea. What could you do on a weekend there?
- La Moneda changed from a coin factory to a president's home. Can you think of a building near you that changed its use?
- Why do you think cities in earthquake regions have special building rules?
Try at home or in class
- Build a tower from blocks on a tray, then gently shake the tray. Try a wider base and see which tower stays up longer.
- Draw a checkerboard street plan for a new town, with a main square, a hill lookout and a river on two sides.
Key vocabulary: capital, basin, conquistador, mint, earthquake, cable car, skyscraper
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Santiago , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Chile: Soils and climate , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Chile: Settlement patterns , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Chile: The intermediate depression (relief) , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Santiago: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated October 27, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.