Santiago Metropolitan Region

Santiago Metropolitan Region exists because the Central Valley exists—a fertile corridor between the Andes and the coastal range that concentrated population, agriculture, and eventually capital in ways that made decentralization impossible. Nearly half of Chile's 19.6 million people (8.4 million) live here on just 15,400 km²; both population and GDP exceed 40% of national totals. The region produces $254 billion in economic output (2024)—41.5% of Chile's GDP—making it the most developed subdivision in South America with a 0.908 HDI. This metabolic concentration follows biological precedent: primate cities emerge when capital cities capture disproportionate shares of national resources through preferential attachment. Every ministry, major bank, and headquarters orbits the Gran Santiago metropolitan area, creating positive feedback loops that drain talent and investment from regional Chile. The February 2024 brush fires that burned through Valparaiso and central Chile exposed vulnerabilities in this concentration—climate disasters near the capital immediately become national emergencies. Santiago functions as both heart and stomach of Chilean metabolism: circulating capital and consuming resources in patterns that keep the rest of the country in chronic nutritional deficit. By 2026, Santiago will continue its gravitational pull—the infrastructure, labor pools, and network effects that made it dominant will continue attracting new residents despite air pollution, traffic, and housing costs that degrade quality of life for all who must orbit its mass.