Rio Mapocho by kiwigal_1
Santiago is located in a river valley in the area around the rivers Mapocho and Maipo. The Mapocho river runs through the city and has parks and walkways along the side of it as it runs through Providencia. The river is very fast flowing and is less polluted than it looks although in summer can smell kind of interesting! In 2008 works started to create a separate drain for contaminants so that sewage etc is not running directly into the Mapocho without treatmet first. The system should be running by 2010.The parks alongside the river are a nice place to walk and there are some lovely fountains that get lit up at night.
One interesting fact about the river that amazes me is that the "Costanera Norte" highway was built underneath the river in the section through Providencia. It is a 3 lane highway on each side.