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Check out the coloring sheet below!!
JiJi has traveled more than 5,000 miles south to the city of Valparaiso, Chile. Valparaiso is a bright and busy port city that sits on the Pacific Ocean. In the early 1900s, residents looking for a way to keep the salty ocean air from damaging their homes, found that the boats that docked in the harbor often left unused paint behind. Because the people of Valparaiso used whatever colors they found, the city became a rainbow of colorful homes. This colorful tradition continues today.
The bright and vibrant homes sit high up on hills, so the early residents built stairs throughout Valparaiso. Beginning in the late 1800s, a series of funiculars, or vertical cable cars, were built. Many of these funiculars are still in operation today, including the oldest funicular, The Concepción, which climbs over 225 feet (69 meters) at a 45 degree angle.
- Are there other cities in the world that have funiculars?
- What is the steepest funicular?
- The fastest?
- Would you want to ride on a funicular in Valparaiso?
TEACHER NOTE: Students could create a simple pulley system using string and plastic cups to imitate the funiculars in Chile. Students could research the different angles of the funiculars in Valparaiso as well as around the world and recreate the angles with their pulley systems. Students could also explore and compare other transportation systems such as cable cars, elevated trains or subway trains.
Click image to download full-page coloring sheet.