| Providencia | |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Commune |
| Flag Alt: | Flag |
| Shield Alt: | Coat of arms |
| Map Alt: | Map of Providencia commune within Greater Santiago |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile |
| Pushpin Map Narrow: | yes |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location in Chile |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Chile |
| Coordinates: | -33.4333°N -107°W |
| Coor Pinpoint: | city |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Chile |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Santiago Metropolitan Region |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Santiago |
| Seat: | 25 February 1897 |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] [2] |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Leader Title: | Alcaldesa |
| Leader Party: | UDI |
| Leader Name: | Evelyn Matthei Fornet |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 14.4 |
| Population Total: | 120874 |
| Population As Of: | 2002 Census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Urban |
| Population Blank1: | 120874 |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Rural |
| Population Blank2: | 0 |
| Demographics Type1: | Sex |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Men |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 53,082 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Women |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 67,792 |
| Timezone: | CLT[4] |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Timezone Dst: | CLST[5] |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal Code |
| Postal Code: | 7500000 |
| Area Code: | 56 + |
| Website: | Municipality of Providencia |
Providencia (pronounced as /es/, Spanish: "providence") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago City. It is bordered by the communes of Santiago to the west, Recoleta to the northwest, Las Condes and Vitacura to the northeast, La Reina to the east, and Ñuñoa to the south. It belongs to the Northeastern zone of Santiago de Chile.
Providencia is home to a large upper middle to upper-class population and it holds the region's highest percentage of population over 60 (22%). It contains many high-rise apartment buildings as well as a significant portion of Santiago's commerce. It is notable for its large, old and elegant houses inhabited in the past by the Santiago elite and now mostly used as offices. The municipality is also home to many embassies, including those of Canada, Poland, Hungary, Italy, France, Egypt, Russia, Japan, China, and Uruguay. Providencia has one of the highest human development indexes of any city in Latin America.
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Providencia spans an area of 14.4sqkm and has 120,874 inhabitants (53,082 men and 67,792 women), and the commune is an entirely urban area. The population grew by 8.7% (9,692 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[3]
0.911, 4 out of 341 (2003)[8]
As a commune, Providencia is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2021 to 2024 alcaldesa is Evelyn Matthei (UDI). The communal council has the following members:
Other
Providencia belongs to Electoral District No. 10, with Santiago, Ñuñoa, La Granja, Macul and San Joaquín, and to the 7th (Senatorial) District (Santiago Metropolitan Region).It is represented in the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress by the deputies Gonzalo Winter (CS), Jorge Alessandri Vergara (UDI), Johannes Kaiser (REP), María Luisa Cordero (IND), Lorena Fries (IND), Helia Molina (PPD), Alejandra Placencia (PC) and Emilia Schneider (COM).
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has its headquarters in Providencia.[9]
Providencia includes Barrio Bellavista, a bohemian area populated with artists and performers. The latter lies in the shadow of Cerro San Cristóbal, a prominent hill in the city topped by a 22 m statue of The Virgin Mary. The north of Providencia is its financial and commercial district (centred on Providencia and Nueva Providencia (Ex 11 de Septiembre) avenues), while the remainder of it contains high-priced residential development.
Other notable areas of interest in Providencia include the Metropolitan Zoo, the Teleférico (an aerial gondola) that transports people from the foot of Pedro de Valdivia Norte Street to the top of San Cristóbal Hill), several television networks and Radio Cooperativa.