Center
This area comprises the regions of Valparaíso, Libertador
General Bernardo O’Higgins, Maule (V, VI and VII regions respectively),
as well as the Metropolitan Region, where the capital of Chile, Santiago,
is located.
This is the zone where we find most of the
administrative, economic, political and cultural centers of the country,
cities such as Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Rancagua, Los
Andes, San Antonio and Talca. Their development is owed to the economic
richness of the area, offering the ideal weather and geography for
almost any kind of economic activity: agriculture, mining, fishing,
tourism, and so forth.
There are numerous areas devoted to protecting
ecosystems within these
zones: La Campana National Park is the
only one in Valparaíso region but there are also the nature reserves of Río Los Cipreses, Radal
7 Tazas, Altos de Lircay and Laguna Torca in
the regions of O’Higgins and Maule.
The national parks of Rapa Nui and Juan Fernández, on
Easter Island and in the Juan Fernández archipelago, are remarkable
because of the archeological mysteries of the former and the unique ecological system of the
latter.
And Chile is, of course, the number one destination for South American
skiers and it is in the central area, where we find the most famous ski centers: Portillo, Valle Nevado, La Parva
and El Colorado-Farellones.
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