Valparaíso was founded in 1536 by a conquistador, Juan de Saavedra, who named it for his birthplace in Spain. Colonial buildings have survived a succession of pirate raids, severe storms, fires, and earthquakes. Much of the city was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1906; many buildings were again heavily damaged in the 1971 and 1985 earthquakes. After Chilean independence in 1818 and the final breaking of the Spanish mercantile monopoly, the port developed with the birth and evolving power of the Chilean navy and the links created by steamship service to Europe. Although Valparaíso has long been one of Chile's largest cities, its population grew relatively slowly during the mid- and late 20th century and even tended to decrease as inhabitants moved to Quilpue and Viña del Mar, the adjacent tourist resort that gradually evolved into a residential suburb.

The commercial quarter of Valparaíso, with its port works, warehouses, banks, and shopping centre, occupies reclaimed land adjacent to the bay, as do the administrative buildings grouped around the Plaza Sotomayor. The cathedral, parks, boulevards, theatres, cafés, and a few colonial buildings, notably the church of La Matriz, are also concentrated in this lower part of the city. The Chilean naval academy buildings and residential quarters are located on the steep slopes and valleys of encircling hills, with an agglomeration of poorer dwellings occupying the highest parts. Funicular railways, elevators, stairways, and zigzag roads connect the lower city with the upper.

Chile's bicameral parliament, the National Congress, has been situated in Valparaíso since it was reestablished in 1990. Valparaíso is preeminently a commercial and industrial centre, however. It has foundries as well as factories that produce chemicals, textiles, sugar, paints, clothing, leather goods, and vegetable oils. An oil refinery is at nearby Concón on the mouth of the Aconcagua River. Most of Chile's imports enter through the container port; and, although its exports are a small fraction of the Chilean total, its significance in the country's internal maritime communications is paramount. It is a terminal and major port of call for several international shipping lines.

Valparaíso is also a cultural centre and is the site of the famed Federico Santa María Technical University (established 1926), the Catholic University of Valparaíso (1928), the University of Valparaíso (1981), and the Natural History and Fine Arts museums.

State railways connect Valparaíso with Santiago, to the southeast, and with all the important cities and ports of Chile from Pisagua to Puerto Montt. Good highways run to the resort towns north and south and to Santiago. Another highway crosses the Andes Mountains to connect Valparaíso with Mendoza, Arg. Internal airlines link the city with other parts of Chile. Pop. (2002) city, 263,499; urban agglom., 803,683.

region, central Chile, bordering the Pacific Ocean on the west, Argentina on the east, and Santiago metropolitan region on the southeast. It was created in 1974 and encompasses Valparaíso, San Antonio, Quillota, Petorca, San Felipe, Los Andes, and Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) provinces. Valparaíso region has an area of 6,193 sq mi (16,040 sq km) and is Chile's third most populous region. In the north the region is mountainous, interrupted by broad valleys, including the northern reaches of the Central Valley of Chile, which lies between the coastal ranges and the piedmont alluvial slopes of the Andes. Climatically, the region lies in a transitional zone between the arid northern part of Chile and the subhumid central part. Major transverse valleys include those of the Aconcagua and Ligua rivers, their tributaries, and the lower Río Maipo basin.

In the fertile northern valleys where irrigation is employed, especially around San Felipe, and in the westward-draining lowlands near Valparaíso city, the regional capital, alfalfa, grapes and other fruits, vegetables, and cereal grains are grown. Cattle and sheep are pastured in the rangeland in the coastal mountains of southwestern Valparaíso region. The region contains rich mineral resources, particularly copper, kaolin, and salt. It is second in the nation to Santiago metropolitan region in industrial development; leading products are textiles, chemicals, cement, clothing, processed foods, and tobacco. The Concón petroleum refinery and the oil storage tanks at Quintero and Viña del Mar are economically important. The port of San Antonio, south of Valparaíso city, exports copper brought by railroad from the large mine at El Teniente, near Rancagua in O'Higgins region. Highways and an electrified railway link the urban centres to Valparaíso city. The Pan-American Highway and the main north-south railroad pass through the northern portion of the region, which was heavily damaged in a 1971 earthquake. A major east-west highway connects the region with Mendoza, Arg., via the Uspallata Pass, site of the famed statue “Christ of the Andes,” on the border. Valparaíso also has several popular beach resorts, notably Viña del Mar (q.v.). Portillo, near Mount Aconcagua (22,834 feet 【6,960 m】), has become South America's most popular Andean winter resort, particularly for skiing.

Juan Fernández Islands and Easter Island in the Pacific are administered from Valparaíso city. Pop. (1992 prelim.) 1,373,967.