Santiago is the capital city of Chile. It’s situated in the central valley of the country. Santiago is one of the most important cities in Latin America and one of the most cosmopolitan. It is the country’s economic, transportation, and cultural centre. Since the colonial times, Santiago is renowned for influencing other cities around the continent. It is famous for its remarkable colonial buildings and modern structures that stand side by side to complement each other. Some of the places that make it famous include the amazing ancient buildings, San Cristobal Hill, Plaza de Armas, Art Galleries, La Moneda Palace, Central Market and the Metropolitan Cathedral.

According to the 2017 census, Santiago had a population of 5,428,590. Compared to other cities in Chile, Santiago is considered to be more diverse. When it comes to religious beliefs, Santiago is known to be diverse as most people identify themselves as Catholic, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witnesses and Orthodox. According to the data collected during the 2017 census, 66.6% people in Santiago identified themselves as Catholic, 17.2% as Evangelical, 1% Jehovah's Witnesses, 0.14% Orthodox, and 11.96% declared that they followed no religion. As one of the most diverse cities in Latin America, Santiago houses over 5 million residents, who collectively speak multiple languages, including Spanish, English, Italian, German, and of course Mapudungun. San Cristobal Hill is home to a zoo, a botanical garden and swimming pools. The Mapocho River, which cuts through the city, is lined by parks perfect for cycling, running or taking a stroll.

The Santiago Metropolitan Region, which includes Santiago, is divided into several communes, each headed by a mayor elected every four years. The Regional Intendant is appointed by the President. The Metropolitan Regional Council is a body of popularly elected representatives and has regulatory, administrative and financial functions. The region is divided into six provinces, each headed by a governor appointed by the President. The provinces are further divided into 52 communes, each governed by a municipality headed by a mayor.

Santiago has always been a commercial city and today enjoys the status of having one of the largest city economies in Latin America. The city thrives in trade and commerce and has a vibrant culture seeped in commerce. It has a GDP of over $91 billion, which is about 45 percent of Chile's total GDP. The size of its economy is larger than that of several Latin American nations. The Port of San Antonio handles 17 million tons of cargo every year.

Santiago has been taking steps towards its infrastructure plan 2041. The Mayor of Santiago took a big step forward in planning for growth with the publication of Santiago’s Infrastructure Plan 2041. It identifies a range of infrastructure priorities for Santiago, from new energy, water and sewerage infrastructure, to enhanced digital connectivity and new Metro, rail and road schemes. Some of the investment is provided by the private sector, through the privatized utilities. This has generally worked well in Santiago, although business is particularly concerned at the lack of capacity in digital infrastructure. The take-up of high speed broadband by business is low compared to other world cities; and just over 12% of premises cannot access superfast broadband in the first place, with these “not spots” particularly prevalent in the City of Santiago and Tech City. Business sees these as priority areas for action by the Mayor.