VALPARAISO

city, seat of Porter county, northwestern Indiana, U.S. It lies just east-southeast of Gary. Laid out in 1836 as the county seat, it was first called Portersville but was renamed for Valparaso, Chile. It was originally a point on the old Sauk Trail, which was a thoroughfare for Sauk Indians traveling to Detroit to collect annuities from the British for services in the War of 1812. Valparaiso is situated in a dairy and popcorn-seed-growing area. Its manufactures include magnets, steel products, automobile accessories, food-processing machinery, and electrical specialties. It is the site of Valparaiso University (1859; Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod) and the Valparaiso University Museum of Art. Pines Ski Area, Indiana Dunes State Park, and Flint Lake are nearby. Inc. 1865. Pop. (1992 est.) 24,933. 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 Valparaso, San Antonio, Quillota, Petorca, San Felipe, Los Andes, and Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) provinces. Valparaso 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 Ro Maipo basin. In the fertile northern valleys where irrigation is employed, especially around San Felipe, and in the westward-draining lowlands near Valparaso 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 Valparaso 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 Concn petroleum refinery and the oil storage tanks at Quintero and Via del Mar are economically important. The port of San Antonio, south of Valparaso 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 Valparaso 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. Valparaso also has several popular beach resorts, notably Via del Mar (q.v.). Portillo, near Mount Aconcagua (22,834 feet ), has become South America's most popular Andean winter resort, particularly for skiing. Juan Fernndez Islands and Easter Island in the Pacific are administered from Valparaso city. Pop. (1992 prelim.) 1,373,967.