Valparaiso

Valparaiso, a province of Chile on the Pacific coast, bounded N. by Aconcagua, E. and S. by Santiago and W. by the ocean. Area, 1953 sq. M. Pop. (1895) 220,756; (1902, estimated) 249,885. Its surface is chiefly mountainous, and in great part barren. The river and mountain valleys, however, are fertile, and where irrigation is possible yield large crops, especially cereals. The valley of the Aconcagua, which flows across the N. end of the province, is celebrated for its fertility, especially in the vicinity of Quillota, sometimes called the "garden of Chile." The capital is Valparaiso, and the principal town outside the capital is Quillota.