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Home > Travel South America > South America Destinations > Rancagua
Rancagua
South America is thefourth largest continent of the Western Hemisphere. It is divided politically into 12 independent countries namely Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela and the overseas department of French Guiana. The continent extends to 7,640 kilometers from Punta Gallinas, Colombia, in the north to Cape Horn, Chile, in the south. At its broadest point, near where it is crossed by the equator, the continent extends to 5,300 kilometers from east to west.
South America is connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama. It is washed on the north by the Caribbean Sea, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Topographically the continent is divided into three sections namely the South American cordillera, the interior lowlands, and the continental shield. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion and Portuguese and Spanish are the primary languages of the continent.
Rancagua is a city in central Chile, and capital of the O'Higgins Region. It has a population of 206,971 as per 2002 census. The main economic activities go from tourism, agriculture, wood industry, food production and services to minor industrial activities. The city also serves as the administrative and legal center of the region. Rancagua was founded by Jose Antonio Manso de Velasco, who founded several cities in the central area of Chile. The city's original name was Villa Santa Cruz de Triana.
The city is famous in Chilean history as the scene of the Disaster of Rancagua in 1814, when Chilean forces fighting for independence from Spain were defeated, marking the beginning of the period known as the Reconquista. In recent years the city has become one of the most attractive cultural and tourist spots in the O'Higgins Region mainly for the vineyards that are located near of it and also for the well-known project to build a Casino in the city. There are also some very interesting arhceological spots, sport centers and cultural trips to smaller and more typical villages and towns. The city is connected with Santiago by the Panamerican Highway. The Metrotren connects the metro service in Santiago to Rancagua by train. It is one of South America’s most popular destinations, and is well known for the quantity of cultural related attractions and monuments that the city has embraced.
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