Valparaiso
a city and county -seat the New York, Chicago and St. Louis, and the Chicago and Grand Trunk railroads; 44 miles E. of Chicago. It is in an agricultural section. Here are the Valparaiso University, the Northern Indiana Normal School, several National and State banks, and a number of daily and VALPARAISO weekly newspapers. The city has clock factories, machine shops, an iron foundry, etc. Pop. (1910) 6,987; (1920) 6,518.
VALPARAISO ("the vale of Paradise"), the chief seaport of Chile; in a province of the same name; area, 1,775 square miles; pop. about 350,000); 90 miles W. N. W. of Santiago, the capital, with which it is connected by railway.
It is built at the base of steep, bare hills about 1,600 feet high, and round the head of a bay which possesses good anchorage, but is exposed to S. winds, and therefore unsafe in winter. The streets are narrow and often steep, but are well paved, and some of them are traversed by tramways. The houses are substantial, and often elegantly decorated. The public buildings include a number of important educational and charitable institutions, besides churches and theaters. The city has been greatly damaged by earthquakes on various occasions (notably in 1822, 1829, 1851, and 1906), as well as by a bombardment by a Spanish fleet on March 31, 1866. The climate is good, but dry, little rain falling except during the three winter months. The annual mean temperature is 58°. The chief items of export are copper and copper ore, gold, silver, cereals, wood, hides, and tallow. Pop. (1918) 212,659.