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This article is about the natural region beetwen Aconcagua and Bío-Bio River in Chile. For the valley between the Chilean Coast Range and the Andes see Chilean Central Valley.

Zona central (Central Zone, Central Chile) is one of the five natural regions on wich CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. It is home to a majority of the Chilean population, includes the three largest metropolitan areas- Santiago, Valparaíso, and Concepción. It extends from about 32° south latitude to about 38° south latitude. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Geography and Climate The Central Valley (Valle Central de Chile) is one of the six main geographical zones in which Chile is divided. ... A Natural region is one which is distinguished by its natural features of geography and usually more importantly, geology. ... CORFO is a Chilean governmental organization that was founded in 1939 to promote economic growth in Chile. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The climate is of the temperate Mediterranean type, with the amount of rainfall increasing considerably and progressively from north to south. In the Santiago area, the average monthly temperatures are about 19.5 °C in the summer months of January and February and 7.5 °C in the winter months of June and July. The average monthly precipitation is no more than a trace in January and February and 69.7 millimeters in June and July. By contrast, in Concepción the average monthly temperatures are somewhat lower in the summer at 17.6 °C but higher in the winter at 9.3 °C, and the amount of rain is much greater. In the summer, Concepción receives an average of twenty millimeters of rain per month; in June and July, the city is pounded by an average of 253 millimeters per month. The numerous rivers greatly increase their flow as a result of the winter rains and the spring melting of the Andean snows, and they contract considerably in the summer. The combination of abundant snow in the Andes and relatively moderate winter temperatures creates excellent conditions for Alpine skiing. City motto: La Capital del Sur de Chile The Capital of the South of Chile Also called Biobios Pearl Founded October 5, 1550, Original Name La Concepción de María Purísima del Nuevo Extremo Region Bío-Bío Region Area  - City Proper  222 km² Population  - City...

The topography of central Chile includes a coastal range of mountains running parallel to the Andes. Lying between the two mountain ranges is the so-called Central Valley, which contains some of the richest agricultural land in the country, especially in its northern portion. The area just north and south of Santiago is a large producer of fruits, including the grapes from which the best Chilean wines are made. Exports of fresh fruit began to rise dramatically in the mid-1970s because Chilean growers had the advantage of being able to reach markets in the Northern Hemisphere during that part of the world's winter. Most of these exports, such as grapes, apples, and peaches, go by refrigerator ships, but some, such as berries, go by air freight. The Chilean Coast Range (Spanish: Cordillera de la Costa) is a mountain range that runs southward parallel with the Andean Mountains, from the morro de Arica to the Taitao Peninsula where it ends together with the Nazca Plate. ... Chile has a long history of wine making, going back to the conquistadores who brought grape vines with them in the mid 16th Century and planted vineyards. ...

The southern portion of central Chile contains a mixture of some excellent agricultural lands, many of which were covered originally with old-growth forests. They were cleared for agriculture but were soon exhausted of their organic matter and left to erode. Large tracts of this worn-out land, many of them on hilly terrain, have been reforested for the lumber, especially for the cellulose and paper industries. New investments during the 1980s in these industries transformed the rural economy of the region. The pre-Andean highlands and some of the taller and more massive mountains in the coastal range (principally the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta) still contain large tracts of old-growth forests of remarkable beauty, some of which have been set aside as national parks. Between the coastal mountains and the ocean, many areas of central Chile contain stretches of land that are lower than the Central Valley and are generally quite flat. The longest beaches can be found in such sections.

Geography and Climate

Central Chile is one of the six main geographical zones in which Chile is divided. The Chilean Central Valley lies between the Coastal range ("Cordillera de la Costa") and the Andes Mountains. To the north is the semi-desert region known as El Norte Chico, (the "little north"), which lies between 28º and 32º south latitude. To the south lies the cooler and wetter Valdivian temperate rain forests ecoregion, in Los Lagos Region; (the latter includes most of South America's temperate rain forests). The Central valley is a fertile region and the agricultural heartland of Chile. It has a Mediterranean climate, with temperatures dropping and precipitations increasing in a regular pattern from north to south. Winters are mild and summers are usually moderately hot and dry. Fljótsdalur in East Iceland, a rather flat valley A valley (in Scotland, a glen) is a landform, which can range from a few square miles (square kilometers) to hundreds or even thousands of square miles in area. ... A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... The Andes between Chile and Argentina Planes view of the Andes, Peru. ... Semi-arid generally describes regions that receive low annual rainfall (25 to 50 cm /10 to 20 in) and generally have scrub or grass vegetation. ... Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... The valdivian flag Valdivia is a city in southern Chile, founded by Pedro de Valdivia, located at the confluence of the Calle Calle, Valdivia and Cau Cau rivers, some 15 km east of the coastal town and bay of Corral. ... In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ... An ecoregion, sometimes called a bioregion, is a relatively large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. ... Los Lagos (Spanish The lakes) is Chiles tenth administrative region from north to south. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Fertile may be used in the following conrtext: Fertility, a term used to describe the ability of people or animals to produce healthy offspring. ... Look up Region in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Heartland is a most often a geopolitical term, often used to refer to a central area of Eurasia that is remote and inaccessible from the periphery. ... A Mediterranean climate is a climate that resembles the climate of the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ...

The annual mean temperatures in Santiago is 57° F (14° C) The temperate action of the ocean prevents temperatures from dropping drastically, and if snow falls in the area, it does not usually stay on the ground for more than a few hours. Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ... Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ...

In Santiago the annual rainfall is 13 inches and in Valparaíso, it amounts to 15 inches. Along the Central Valley rainfall increases gradually southward until it reaches 52 inches in Concepción. In meteorology, precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. ... Concepción (Spanish for conception, in reference to the Immaculate Conception of Roman Catholic dogma) is the name of several towns and cities in Latin America: Concepción, Chile Concepción, Santander, Colombia Concepción, Campeche, Mexico Concepción, Tabasco, Mexico Concepción, Paraguay Concepción, Zulia State, Venezuela And...

Demography and Economy

The following regions are traditionally considered as being part of Chile's central Valley:

• V Region of Valparaíso
• The Metropolitan Region of Santiago
• VI Region of the Liberator General Bernardo O'Higgins
• VII Region of the Maule
• VIII Region of the Biobío

Historically, the Central valley has been the heartland of the country with the highest concentration of population (two thirds of the country's population) and, in addition, the area where the greater proportion of the economic productivity of the country is concentrated. Its economy is characterized by its diversity and the strongest pillars lie in the use of natural resources, through the copper mining, logging, agriculture and wine producing, fishing, and manufacturing sector. Valparaíso is Chiles fifth administrative region from north to south. ... The Santiago Metropolitan Region (in Spanish, Región Metropolitana de Santiago) is a landlocked administrative region in central Chile. ... OHiggins is Chiles sixth administrative region from north to south. ... Maule is Chiles seventh administrative region from north to south. ... Bío-Bío is Chiles eighth administrative region from north to south. ... Heartland is a most often a geopolitical term, often used to refer to a central area of Eurasia that is remote and inaccessible from the periphery. ... Economy refers to the human activities related with the production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of goods and services. ... The most commonly present source of copper ore is chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), which accounts for about 50% of copper production. ... Loggers on break, c. ... Chile has a long history of wine making, going back to the conquistadores who brought grape vines with them in the mid 16th Century and planted vineyards. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish by hooking, trapping, or gathering animals not classifiable as insects which breathe in water or pass their lives in water. ... Manufacturing , a branch of industry, is the application of tools and a processing medium to the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale. ...

The main cities are: Santiago, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana, Quillota, Puente Alto, San Antonio, Melipilla, Rancagua, Curicó, Talca, Linares, Chillán, Concepción, Talcahuano, Coronel and Los Ángeles. The snowcapped Andes above downtown Santiago Santiago (frequently called   in Spanish) is Chiles capital and, when viewed as a conurbation, its largest city. ... Valparaíso is one of the main seaports of Chile, on the Pacific Ocean, and the capital of the Valparaíso Region. ... Coast of Viña del Mar Beach of Reñaca Hotel del Mar Bridge crossing the estuary of the Marga Marga Casino Reñaca Viña del Mar (Spanish for Vineyard of the Sea), also known locally as La Ciudad Jardín (Spanish for The Garden City), is a thriving... Quilpué is called by the locals Ciudad del Sol (Sunny City) because compared to Valparaíso (only 30 minutes away) it has a lot more sunny days. ... Plaza de Armas of Quillota city The city of Quillota is located in the Aconcagua River valley, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. ... Rancagua is a city in central Chile, and is the capital of OHiggins Region. ... Talca (1998 pop. ... Linares is a city located in the VII Region (Maule) in central Chile and lies 303 km south of Santiago. ... Chillán is a city in the Bío-Bío Region of Chile located about 400 km south of the capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. ... City motto: La Capital del Sur de Chile The Capital of the South of Chile Also called Biobios Pearl Founded October 5, 1550, Original Name La Concepción de María Purísima del Nuevo Extremo Region Bío-Bío Region Area  - City Proper  222 km² Population  - City... Talcahuano is a port city of Chile, lying near Concepción. ... The city of Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII (the Biobío region), in the center-south of Chile. ...

External links

• An aerial Google view of the Chilean Central Valley. Argentina lies to the east of the Andes range