- Uspallata Pass
The Uspallata Pass or Bermejo Pass is an Andean pass which provides a route between the wine-growing region around the Argentine city of Mendoza and Santiago the Chilean capital situated in the central Chilean valley. The pass has been used since Colonial times as the most direct link between the
Pacific seaport ofValparaiso and theAtlantic port ofBuenos Aires , avoiding the 11 day, convert|5630|km|mi|0|lk=on|abbr=on journey by sea, viaCape Horn , between the two ports. Reaching a maximum altitude of about convert|3810|m|ft|0|lk=on|abbr=on, the pass runs between the peaks of the convert|6962|m|ft|0|abbr=onAconcagua to the north and the convert|6570|m|ft|0|abbr=onTupungato to the south.Today, the Uspallata Pass provides a major transportation link between Chile and Argentina and a railroad tunnel built by the now defunct
Transandine Railway (1910–1982) runs underneath. ThePan-American Highway runs through the near-byCristo Redentor Tunnel (in Spanish: "Paso Internacional Cristo Redentor") and a monument,Christ the Redeemer of the Andes ("Cristo Redentor de los Andes" in Spanish) is located at the pass.
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