The city of Santiago, Chile, located in the shadow of the snow-capped Andes Mountains, is blessed with one of the most breathtaking natural surroundings of any urban area on Earth. But from May to September, you wouldn’t know it; heavy smog obscures the Andes entirely and lends the word “breathtaking” a different meaning. A poll of Latin American business travelers by the magazine America Economia found that Santiago’s smog was the biggest obstacle to would-be foreign investors, offsetting its stable economy and comparatively tranquil political situation. Although Mexico City and Sao Paulo have as bad or worse pollution problems, the perception in the business community is that Santiago is the smoggiest city in the region.
