Geography and Climate

The Central Valley (Valle Central de 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 valley is a landform, which can range from a few square miles (square kilometers) to hundreds or even thousands of square miles (square kilometers) in area. ... A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... Look up range in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Andes between Chile and Argentina The Andes form the longest mountain chain in the world. ... 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 φ, 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 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. ... Region can be used to mean either: any more or less well-defined geographical area of a country or continent, defined by geography, culture or history in political geography, an administrative subdivision of a country or of the European Union. ... 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 one that resembles those 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. ... The worlds oceans as seen from the South Pacific Oceans (from Okeanos, Greek for river, the ancient Greeks noticed that a strong current flowed off Gibraltar, and assumed it was a great river) cover almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth, and nearly half of the...

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. ... The word economy can refer to any of several things: The economy of the world — see world economy The economy of a country — see economics and economic system Economy is financial soundness or affordability. ... 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. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

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 are a Santiago landmark Santiago (Spanish: ) is Chiles capital and largest city. ... Port of Valparaíso, Chile Valparaíso is an important Chilean seaport and cultural center. ... Coast of Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (Vineyard by the Sea in Spanish), also known locally as La Ciudad Jardín (Garden City in Spanish), is a growing coastal city in central Chile, in the Valparaíso Region. ... The city of Quillota is located in the Aconcagua river valley, in the Valparaiso region of Chile. ... San Antonio (the Spanish name of Saint Anthony) is a common toponym in parts of the world where the Spanish language is or was spoken: Argentina San Antonio, Jujuy province Belize San Antonio, Cayo District Chile San Antonio Mexico San Antonio, San Luis Potosí Philippines San Antonio, Quezon San Antonio... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... City motto: Noble y Leal Villa de San José de Buena Vista de Curicó Also called City of the cakes Founded October 9, 1743, Original Name San José de Buena Vista de Curicó Region Maule Region Area  - City Proper  1,328 km² Population  - City (2005)  - Density (city proper) 120. ... Talcas main comercial street Talca (2002 Census pop. ... Linares (Chile) is a small city located in the VII Region (Maule) in southern Chile. ... Chillán, located about 400 km south of Chiles capital Santiago, has been from its foundation in the year 1580 the heart of Chiles rich agricultural region. ... 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... Talcahuano is a port city of Chile, lying near Concepción. ... Coronel is a city in Concepción province of the Bío-Bío región, in south-central Chile, located along the Araunco Gulf. ... 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