The principal cities are Arica and Antofagasta. It is a zone of big contrasts between the desert and the fertile valleys. We can find in this zone the astronomical observatories of La Silla, European Southern Observatory and El Tololo, the famous Elqui Valley and several beach resorts. This zone concentrates the most of administrative, political and economic activity of the Country. With a mild climate, good for agriculture, this is the zone of the wine country and Chilean fruits.
Landscape turns greener and climate, wet.
Here we find the famous Lake District. Chiloe, and many attractions as the Austral Road, Elizalde lake, the Futaleufu river and San Rafael Glacier. South Patagonia Includes the XIIth Magallanes regions and the Chilean Antarctic Territory. With a climate less than charming, here we find unspoiled wilderness and solitude. Torres del Paine National Park, Tierra del Fuego, the Magallanes Strait, and Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of the World, and the pristine Antarctica.