Theme Week Chile – Valparaíso

25 November 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

Plaza Echaurren © Hemorag/cc-by-sa-3.0

Plaza Echaurren © Hemorag/cc-by-sa-3.0

Valparaíso is a major city, seaport, and educational center in the county or commune of Valparaíso. Greater Valparaíso is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located 111.8 kilometres (69.5 miles) northwest of Santiago and is one of the South Pacific’s most important seaports. Valparaíso is the capital of Chile’s third most populated administrative region and has been the headquarters for the Chilean National Congress since 1990. Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century, when the city served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by crossing the Straits of Magellan. Valparaíso mushroomed during its golden age, as a magnet for European immigrants, when the city was known by international sailors as “Little San Francisco” and “The Jewel of the Pacific”. Examples of Valparaíso’s renown glory include Latin America‘s oldest stock exchange, the continent’s first volunteer fire department, Chile’s first public library, and the oldest Spanish language newspaper in continuous publication in the world, El Mercurio de Valparaíso.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top