The climate of the Santiago Province, and generally of the Metropolitan Region is temperate Mediterranean cold, of the kind called continental.

Precipitation is concentrated in the winter months, generally as snow over 1000 m above sea level and, in colder years, over the city of Santiago.

Most of the province is made up of an extremely fertile, level prairie that the locals call la Depresión intermedia (Intermediate Depression).

There is some occurrence of the endangered Chilean Wine Palm, Jubaea chilensis within the Santiago Province;[2] this iconic tree of central Chile had a much larger range prehistorically, before the decimation of much of its habitat by the expanding human population.

Before the Iberian conquest, the central zone of Chile was sparsely inhabited by an indigenous population of Picunches, the northern branch of the Mapuches.

The European occupation had a considerable impact on the native population and culture, which suffered a rapid and profound disintegration.

It represented first the appropriation of indigenous ground, and second the practice of Spaniards receiving groups of natives who had to pay tribute.

The "primary" or agricultural sector represents less than 3.5% of the economic activity according to the census, a figure that has remained virtually unchanged during the first few years of the 21st century.

The highway, nicknamed "Norte-Sur" ("North-South"), consists of quality pavement and two- and three-lane roads.

The toll highway, consisting of two- and three-lane sections of well-maintained pavement, extends for 115 kilometers.

The "Highway of the Sun" is a toll road that links Santiago with San Antonio, and from there connects to other coastal towns including Llolleo, Cartagena, El Quisco, and Algarrobo.

The five train lines carry an average of one million people daily, making the metro one of the leading means of transportation in the entire country.