Chile
Santiago
Spanish Immersion Schools in Santiago, Chile
There are 14 Spanish Immersion Schools in Santiago, Chile. A partial list of the Spanish Immersion Schools in Santiago Chile follows:
- Bellavista Language Center
- Goodman International
- ICHIL
- Inbusiness Language School
- Instituto Chileno-Suizo
- Latin Immersion -Santiago
- Newen Escuela de Español
- Paisnativo
- PIVIAN Escuela de Idiomas
- Study Chile
- Terra Australis
- The Meeting Point
- Violeta Parra
- Woodward Chile
History
Santiago was founded by Pedro de Valdivia on February 12, 1541 with the name Santiago de Nueva Extremadura. The founding ceremony was held on Huelén Hill (later renamed Cerro Santa Lucía). Valdivia chose the location of Santiago because of its moderate climate and the ease with which it could be defended—the Mapocho River splits into two branches and rejoins further downstream, forming an island.
Santiago was destroyed on September 11, 1541 by the Indian forces under the chief Michimalonco, which led to the Arauco War.
The first buildings were erected with the help of the native Picunche Indians. The south bank of the Mapocho River was later drained and converted into a public promenade, known as the Alameda (now Avenida Alameda Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins). Santiago was slightly damaged during the War of Independence (1810–18), in the Battle of Maipú, which was fought south-west of Santiago. Santiago was named capital in 1818.
During the early 19th century, Santiago remained a small town with few buildings excepting Palacio de La Moneda, the building used as the Chilean mint during the Spanish period, and a few churches and other civic buildings. The Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús caught fire during an 1863 church service, and 2000 people died, one of the worst modern fires.
In the 1880s extraction of nitrate fertilizer in Northern Chile brought prosperity to the country, and promoted the capital city's development. Important landmarks were built in 1910 during the Centennial celebrations of independence from Spain, such as the National Library, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Estación Mapocho.
Santiago began its transformation into a modern city in the 1930s, with the building of the Barrio Cívico, surrounding El Palacio de La Moneda. Santiago also grew in population, due to migration from the north and south of Chile. In 1985 an earthquake destroyed some historically significant buildings in the downtown area.
Santiago is now often considered the second most important financial center in Latin America after São Paulo, Brazil.
Santiago Spanish Immersion Schools
There are 14 Spanish Immersion Schools in Santiago. A partial list of the Spanish Immersion Schools in Santiago follows:
- Bellavista Language Center
- Goodman International
- ICHIL
- Inbusiness Language School
- Instituto Chileno-Suizo
- Latin Immersion -Santiago
- Newen Escuela de Español
- Paisnativo
- PIVIAN Escuela de Idiomas
- Study Chile
- Terra Australis
- The Meeting Point
- Violeta Parra
- Woodward Chile
Climate
Santiago has a mild Mediterranean climate: relatively hot dry summers (November to March) with temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on the hottest days; winters (June to August) are more humid, with typical maximum daily temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), and minimums of a few degrees above freezing. Occasional snowfall occur on higher suburbs of Santiago. Mean rainfall is 338 mm per year.
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.
The Mapocho river, which crosses Santiago from the north-east to the south-west of the Central Valley, is contaminated by industrial and household sewage, dumped unfiltered into the river, and by upstream copper-mining waste (there are a number of copper mines in the Andes east of Santiago). The central government recently passed a law that forces industry and local governments to process all their wastewater by 2006. There are now a number of large wastewater processing and recycling plants under construction. There are ongoing plans to decontaminate the river and make it navigable.
Sound levels on the main streets are high, mostly because of noisy diesel buses. Diesel trucks and buses are also major contributors to winter smog. A lengthy replacement process of the bus system began in 2005 and will last until 2010 (see Transportation section below).
Demographics
The population of Santiago's urban agglomeration grew from 0.982 million in 1940 to 2.82 million in 1970 and 4.75 million in 1992. According to the 2002 census, it contains a population of about 5.43 million, equivalent to nearly 37% of the total population of the country and 43% of the total urban population, making it one of the largest cities in Latin America.
Santiago is increasingly receiving immigration from other countries in Latin America due to comparatively strong economic growth. Many Peruvians live in Santiago, as well as Bolivians, Argentines, and Ecuadorians.
Economy
Santiago is the industrial and financial center of Chile, and generates 45 percent of the country's GDP. Santiago, along with Buenos Aires and São Paulo, is one of the main financial centres of South America. Some international institutions, such as ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), have their offices in Santiago.
In recent years, due to the strong growth and stability of the Chilean economy, many multinational companies have chosen Santiago as the place for their headquarters in the region, like HP, Reuters, JP Morgan, Intel, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Nestlé, Kodak, BHP Billiton, IBM, Motorola, Microsoft, Ford, Yahoo!, and many more.
Getting Started
- Establish Skype service
- Register with 1 on 1 Spanish
- Schedule free initial lesson (we'll contact you)
- Connect with online Spanish tutor
I am ecstatic with this system. After only three lessons I can feel a substantial improvement.
Hjortur, Iceland
I love learning online with my own private teacher. It is convenient because I can stay home and not have to drive to a school everyday.
Veronica C.
The combination of one to one conversation plus grammatical exercises provided via the SKYPE text message system is a truly efficient way to improve and enhance my Spanish speaking and writing skills.
Alan G., PhD.