Editing Geography of Chile (section)

===Central Chile===
{{main|Zona Central, Chile}}
Central Chile (Chile Central), home to a majority of the population, includes the three largest metropolitan areas—Santiago, Valparaíso, and Concepción. It extends from about 32° south latitude to about 37° south latitude. The climate is of the temperate [[Mediterranean Climate|Mediterranean]] type, with the amount of rainfall increasing considerably and progressively from north to south. In the Santiago area, the average monthly temperatures are about {{convert|19.5|C|F}} in the summer months of January and February and {{convert|7.5|C|F}} in the winter months of June and July; the average monthly precipitation is no more than a trace in January and February and {{convert|69.7|mm|0|abbr=on}} in June and July. In Concepción, by contrast, the average monthly temperatures are somewhat lower in the summer at {{convert|17.6|C|F}} but higher in the winter at {{convert|9.3|C|F}}, and the amount of rain is much greater: in the summer, [[Concepción, Chile|Concepción]] receives an average of 0.8&nbsp;inch (20 millimeters) of rain per month; in June and July, the city is pounded by an average of 10&nbsp;inches (253&nbsp;mm.) per month. The numerous rivers greatly increase their flow as a result of the winter rains and the spring melting of the Andean snows, and they contract considerably in the summer. The combination of abundant snow in the Andes and relatively moderate winter temperatures creates excellent conditions for Alpine skiing.

The topography of central Chile includes a [[Chilean Coast Range|coastal range]] of mountains running parallel to the Andes. Lying between the two mountain ranges is Central Valley, which contain some of the richest agricultural land in the country, especially in its northern portion. The area just north and south of Santiago is a large producer of fruits, including the grapes from which the best [[Chilean wine]]s are made. Exports of fresh fruit began to rise dramatically in the mid-1970s because Chilean growers had the advantage of being able to reach markets in the Northern Hemisphere during winter in that part of the world. Most of these exports, such as grapes, apples, and peaches, go by refrigerator ships. But some, such as berries, go by air freight.

The southern portion of central Chile contains a mixture of some high-quality agricultural lands, many of which were covered originally with [[old-growth forest]]s. They were cleared for agriculture but were soon exhausted of their organic matter and left to erode. Large tracts of this worn-out land, many of them on hilly terrain, have been reforested for the lumber, especially for the cellulose and paper industries. New investments during the 1980s in these industries transformed the rural economy of the region. The pre-Andean highlands and some of the taller and more massive mountains in the coastal range (principally the [[Cordillera de Nahuelbuta]]) still contain large tracts of old-growth forests of remarkable beauty, some of which have been set aside as national parks. Between the coastal mountains and the ocean, many areas of central Chile contain stretches of land that are lower than the Central Valley and are generally quite flat. The longest beaches can be found in such sections.