Over the past
20 years, Santiago, the capital of Chile, has grown into one of Latin America's most important economic hubs, experiencing rapid suburban development and advancements in modern transportation infrastructure.Santiago (Spanish: 
Santiago de Chile (help·info)), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largestconurbation (Greater Santiago). It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of 520 m (1,706.04 ft) above mean sea level. Although Santiago is the capital, legislative bodies meet in the coastal town of Valparaíso, 120km to the west.
Santiago de Chile (help·info)), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largestconurbation (Greater Santiago). It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of 520 m (1,706.04 ft) above mean sea level. Although Santiago is the capital, legislative bodies meet in the coastal town of Valparaíso, 120km to the west.Typical of fast-growing urban areas, Santiago became notorious for stop-and-go traffic and air pollution. The city attempted to relieve the problems through projects like the expansion of the 40-year-old Santiago Metro subway system and the new Costanera Norte, an electronic tollway that integrates other major highways into a seamless east-west artery.
One controversial transport reform project - a system known as Transantiago, established in 2006 - involved the creation of 200 kilometers of dedicated bus lanes, a sweeping reorganization of the city’s bus schedules and routes, and the introduction of a citywide integrated fare collection system. Though the reforms sparked controversy, they also resulted in more buses, better supervision of services, less congestion and speedier trips. However, as EMBARQ's transport expert Dario Hidalgo found, there is still much room for improvement.
Environmental issues
Thermal inversion (a meteorological phenomenon whereby a stable layer of warm air holds down colder air close to the ground) causes high levels of smog and air pollution to be trapped and concentrate within the Central Valley during winter months. In the 1990s air pollution fell by about one-third, but there has been little progress since 2000.
As of March 2007, only 61% of the wastewater in Santiago was treated, which increased up to 71% by the end of the same year. However, the Mapocho River, which crosses the city from the north-east to the south-west of the Central Valley, remains contaminated by household, agricultural and industrial sewage, and by upstream copper-mining waste (there are a number of copper mines in the Andes east of Santiago), which is dumped unfiltered into the river. Laws require industry and local governments to process all their wastewater, but are loosely enforced. There are now a number of large wastewater processing and recycling plants under construction. There are ongoing plans to decontaminate the river[21] and make it navigable.[22]
Chile's steady economic growth has transformed Santiago into one of Latin America's most modern metropolitan areas, with extensive suburban development, dozens of shopping centers, and impressive high-rise architecture. It has a very modern transport infrastructure, including the steadily growing underground Santiago Metro, an effort at modernizing public bus transport and a free flow toll-based ring road and inner city highway system, part of which is tunneled underneath a large section of the city's main river Mapocho connecting the Eastern and Western end of the city in a 25-minute drive. Santiago is the regional headquarters to many multinationals and a financial center. Santiago has a diverse, cosmopolitan cultureClimate
Santiago has a somewhat cooler Mediterranean climate: relatively hot dry summers (November to March) with temperatures reaching up to 35 °C (95.0 °F) on the hottest days; winters (June to August) are more humid with cold mornings, typical maximum daily temperatures of 13 °C (55.4 °F), and minimums of a few degrees above freezing. According to the Köppen climate classification, the climate in Santiago is Csb, and it closely borders a semi-arid climate (BSh/BSk).
Occasional snowfall occurs in the city, and may extend throughout the city, though this happens infrequently (about every 8–10 years). Mean rainfall is 360 mm (14.2 in) per year and is heavily concentrated in the cooler months.| [hide]Climate data for Santiago (1971-2000 period) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36 (97) | 37 (99) | 34 (93) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 27 (81) | 27 (81) | 29 (84) | 31 (88) | 33 (91) | 36 (97) | 37 (99) | 37 (99) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.1 (84.4) | 26.9 (80.4) | 23.3 (73.9) | 18.7 (65.7) | 15.2 (59.4) | 14.9 (58.8) | 16.7 (62.1) | 19.0 (66.2) | 22.3 (72.1) | 25.4 (77.7) | 28.4 (83.1) | 22.47 (72.44) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13.0 (55.4) | 12.4 (54.3) | 10.7 (51.3) | 8.0 (46.4) | 6.3 (43.3) | 4.3 (39.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | 4.8 (40.6) | 6.1 (43.0) | 8.2 (46.8) | 10.1 (50.2) | 12.0 (53.6) | 8.32 (46.97) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6 (43) | 6 (43) | 3 (37) | 1 (34) | −3 (27) | −5 (23) | −6 (21) | −5 (23) | −2 (28) | −1 (30) | 2 (36) | 2 (36) | −6 (21) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 0.4 (0.016) | 0.8 (0.031) | 3.2 (0.126) | 10.4 (0.409) | 42.2 (1.661) | 70.4 (2.772) | 86.6 (3.409) | 51.8 (2.039) | 22.0 (0.866) | 13.4 (0.528) | 9.2 (0.362) | 2.1 (0.083) | 312.5 (12.303) |
| % humidity | 54 | 59 | 63 | 68 | 75 | 79 | 76 | 75 | 72 | 67 | 58 | 53 | 66.6 |
| Avg. rainy days | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 42 |
| Source no. 1: The World Meteorological Organization[15] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: BBC Weather[16] for record highs, lows and humidity | |||||||||||||
Among the main climatic features of Santiago is the concentration of about 80% of the precipitation during the austral winter months (May to September), varying between 50 and 80 mm of rainfall during these months. That amount contrasts with figures for the months corresponding to a very dry season, caused by an anticyclonic dominance continued for about seven or eight months, mainly during the summer months between December and March. Rainfall does not exceed 4 mm on average. Precipitation is usually only rain, as snowfall occurs mainly in the Precordillera above 1500 meters. Snowfall does occur in the eastern sectors, but rarely in rest of the city.[citation needed]
The temperatures vary throughout the year from an average of 20 °C (68 °F) in January to 8 °C (46 °F) in June and July. In the summer, January is hot, easily reaching over 30 °C (86 °F) and a record high close to 37 °C (99 °F), while nights are generally pleasant and slightly cooler without lowering of 15 °C (59 °F). For his part, during autumn and winter the temperature drops and is slightly lower than the 10 °C (50 °F), the temperature may even drop slightly from 0 °C (32 °F), especially during the morning, and its historic low of−6.8 °C (20 °F) in 1976.[citation needed]
Santiago's location within a watershed is one of the most important factors in the climate of the city. The coastal mountain range serves as a "screen climate" to oppose the spread of marine influence, contributing to the increase in annual and daily thermal oscillation (the difference between the maximum and minimum daily temperatures can reach 14°C) and maintaining low relative humidity close to an annual average of 70%. It also prevents the entry of air masses with the exception of some coastal low clouds that penetrate to the basin through the river valleys.
Prevailing winds are from the southwest direction, with an average of 15 km / h, especially during the summer as in winter calm prevail.
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