republic of chile draft 1

8/9/2019 Republic of Chile DRAFT 1

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CHILECountry Research

Mgt. 372.2Draft 1. Including the Introduction, Culture, Economy, andPolitics.

July 20, 2009


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Introduction

Geographical situation: Chile is a country in South America occupying a long and narrowcoastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It borders Peru to

the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage at the country'ssouthernmost tip. Chile's unusual, ribbon-like shape is about-- 4,300 kilometers (2,700 mi) longand on average 175 kilometers (109 mi) wide. It contains 756,950 square kilometers(292,260 sq mi) of land area. it is one of the only two countries in South America having noborder with Brazil. The Pacific forms the country's entire western border, with a coastline thatstretches over 6,435 kilometers. Chile is the longest north-south country in the world, and alsoclaims 1,250,000 km2 (480,000 sq mi) ofAntarctica as part of its territory.

Climate: The climate of Chile comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a largegeographic scale, extending across 38 degrees in latitude, making generalizations difficult. Chilehas given a variedclimate, ranging from the world's driest desert the Atacama in the north,

through aMediterranean climate in the centre, to a snow-prone Alpine climate in the south, withglaciers,fjords and lakes. The northern Chilean desert contains great mineral wealth, principallycopper. Southern Chile is rich in forests and grazing lands and features a string ofvolcanoesandlakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets,canals, twistingpeninsulas, and islands.The AndesMountains are located on the eastern border.

Natural beauty: The northern Atacama Desert contains great mineral wealth, primarily copperand nitrates. The relatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the countryin terms of population and agricultural resources. This area also is the historical center fromwhich Chile expanded in the late nineteenth century, when it integrated the northern andsouthern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests, grazing lands, and features a string ofvolcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twistingpeninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border.

Etymology: There are various theories about the origin of the word Chile. According to a theory

proposed by 18th century Spanish chronicler Diego de Rosales, the Incas of Peru called the

valley of the Aconcagua "Chili" by corruption of the name of a Picunchetribal chief("cacique")

called Tili, who ruled the area at the time of the Incan conquest in the 15th century. Another

theory points to the similarity of the valley of the Aconcagua with that of the Casma Valley in

Peru, where there was a town and valley named Chili. Other theories say Chile may derive its

name from the indigenous Mapuche word chilli, which may mean "where the land ends, "the

deepest point of the Earth, or "sea gulls; or from the Quechuachin, "cold", or the Aymaratchili,

meaning "snow". Another meaning attributed to chilli is the onomatopoeic cheele-cheelethe

Mapuche imitation of a bird call. The Spanish conquistadors heard about this name from the

Incas, and the few survivors ofDiego de Almagro's first Spanish expedition south from Peru in

1535-36 called themselves the "men of Chilli." Ultimately, Almagro is credited with the

universalization of the name Chile, after naming the Mapocho valley as such.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Oceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peruhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boliviahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Passagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarcticahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacierhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacierhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foresthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inlethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inlethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsulahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsulahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Deserthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago,_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inlethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsulahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_de_Rosaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconcaguahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picunchehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picunchehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_chiefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casma_Valleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quechuahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymara_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquistadorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_de_Almagrohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_de_Almagrohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_de_Almagrohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Americahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Oceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peruhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boliviahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentinahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Passagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarcticahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacierhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foresthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inlethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsulahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atacama_Deserthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago,_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inlethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsulahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_de_Rosaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconcaguahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picunchehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_chiefhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casma_Valleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quechuahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aymara_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquistadorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_de_Almagro


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History

About 10,000 years ago, migrating Native Americans settled in fertile valleys and coastal areas

of what is present day Chile. A tribal group known as INCA briefly extended their empire into

northern Chile on that time, but the other tribal group called Mapuche successfully resisted

many attempts against the Inca Empire Tupac Yupanqui and his army. The result of the bloody

three-day confrontation known as the Battle of the Maule was that the Inca conquest of the

territories of Chile ended at the Maule River.

After a long period of time In 1520, Ferdinand Magellan discovered the southern passage now

named after him, the Strait of Magellan. Then in the year 1535, the next Europeans to reach

Chile were Diego de Almagro and his band of Spanish conquistadors, who came from Peru

seeking gold. After the passage of time hundreds of thousands of Native Americans from various

cultures in the area that modern Chile now occupies.

In 1540, the first conquest of Chile began and was carried out by Pedro de Valdivia, one of

Francisco Pizarro's lieutenants. He also founded the city ofSantiago (the present capital of Chile)

on February 12, 1541. Although the Spanish did not find the extensive gold and silver theysought, they recognized the geographical opportunity and the agricultural potentiality of Chile. In

1553 a massive Mapuche insurrection that began resulted in Valdivia's death and the destruction

of many of the colony's principal settlements. Subsequent major insurrections took place in 1598

and in 1655. And finally the abolition ofslavery by the Spanish crown in 1683.

The drive for independence from Spain was precipitated by usurpation of the Spanish throne byNapoleon's brother Joseph in 1808. A national junta in the name of Ferdinandheir to thedeposed kingwas formed on September 18, 1810. Thejunta proclaimed Chile an autonomousrepublic within the Spanish monarchy. Intermittent warfare continued until 1817, when an armyled by Bernardo O'Higgins, Chile's most renowned patriot, and Jos de San Martn, hero of the

Argentine War of Independence, crossed the Andes into Chile and defeated the royalists. OnFebruary 12, 1818, Chile was proclaimed an independent republic under O'Higgins' leadership.In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its presentnorthern regions. It was not until the 1880s that the Araucarias Indians were completelysubjugated. The country, which had been relatively free of the coups and arbitrary governmentsthat blighted the South American continent, endured a 17 year military dictatorship (1973-1990)that left more than 3,000 people dead and missing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples_of_the_Americashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapuchehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Maulehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maule_riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Magellanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_de_Valdiviahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pizarrohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago,_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaveryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_monarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonapartehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_dictatorshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardo_O'Higginshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_War_of_Independencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Pacifichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples_of_the_Americashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapuchehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Maulehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maule_riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Magellanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_de_Valdiviahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Pizarrohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago,_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaveryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_monarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Bonapartehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_dictatorshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardo_O'Higginshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_de_San_Mart%C3%ADnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_War_of_Independencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Pacific


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Chileat a glance

Country Name Republic of Chile

Repblica de Chile (Spanish)

Anthem Himno Nacional de Chile(Spanish)

Motto Por la razn o la fuerza"By reason or by force" (Spanish)

Area - Total756,950 km2 (38th),

292,183 sq mi

-Water(%) 1.07

Population - June 2009 estimate16,928,873 (60th)

- 2002 census 15,116,435

- Density 22/km2 (194th)

57/sq mi

Deonym Chilean

capital Santiago

Official language Spanish

Monetary unit: Chilean Peso

Government

president

-representative democracy

-Michelle bachelet

Independence

1st national govt. junta

DeclaredRecognized

from Spain

September 18, 1810

February 12, 1818April 25, 1844

National symbols

The national flower is the copihue (Lapageria rosea, Chilean bellflower), which grows in thewoods of southern Chile.

The coat of arms depicts the two national animals: the condor(Vultur gryphus, a very large bird

that lives in the mountains) and the huemul ( Hippocamelus bisulcus, an endangered white taildeer). It also has the legendPor la razn o la fuerza (By right or mightorBy reason or by force).

The flag of Chile consists of two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a bluesquare the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bearsa white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; bluesymbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled toachieve independence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_anthemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_Nacional_de_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_Nacional_de_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mottohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_E11_m%C2%B2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_E11_m%C2%B2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_outlying_territories_by_areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_milehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_populationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_densityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_densityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_densityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copihuehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_armshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huemulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_anthemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_Nacional_de_Chilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mottohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_E11_m%C2%B2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_outlying_territories_by_areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_milehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_populationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_densityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_densityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copihuehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_armshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huemulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes


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Geography

A long and narrow coastal Southern Cone country on the west side of the Andes Mountains, Chile

stretches over 4,630 kilometres (2,880 mi) north to south, but only 430 kilometres (265 mi) at its widest

point east to west. This encompasses a remarkable variety of landscapes. It contains 756,950 square

kilometres (292,260 sq mi) of land area. It consists of 22 Cities, 563 provinces & regions, and 2

islands.The northern Atacama Desert contains great mineral wealth, primarily copper and nitrates. Therelatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the country in terms ofpopulation and agricultural resources. This area also is the historical center from which Chileexpanded in the late nineteenth century, when it integrated the northern and southern regions.Southern Chile is rich in forests, grazing lands, and features a string ofvolcanoes and lakes. Thesouthern coast is a labyrinth offjords, inlets, canals, twistingpeninsulas, and islands. The AndesMountains are located on the eastern border. Chile is the longest north-south country in theworld, and also claims 1,250,000 km2 (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica as part of its territory.However, this latter claim is suspended under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty, of which Chile issignatory.[59]

Chile controls Easter Island and Sala y Gmez Island, the easternmost islands of Polynesia,which it incorporated to its territory in 1888, and Robinson Crusoe Island, more than600 kilometres (370 mi) from the mainland, in the Juan Fernndez archipelago. Easter Island isnowadays a province of Chile. Also controlled but only temporally inhabited (by some localfishermen) are the small islands of Sala y Gmez, San Ambrosio and San Felix. These islandsare notable because they extend Chile's claim to territorial waters out from its coast into thePacific.
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CultureDuring the period between early agricultural settlements and to the late pre-Hispanic period,northern Chile was a region of Andean culture that was influenced by altiplano traditionsspreading to the coastal valleys of the north. While southern regions were areas of Mapuchecultural activities. Through the colonial period following the conquest, and during the early

Republican period, the country's culture was dominated by the Spanish. Other Europeaninfluences, primarily English, French, and German began in the 19th century and have continuedto this day. German migrants influenced the Bavarian style rural architecture and cuisine in thesouth of Chile in cities such as Valdivia, Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Osorno, Temuco, Pucn andPuerto Montt.

Music and dance

Music in Chile ranges from folkloric music , popular music and also to classical music. Its largegeography generates different musical expressions in the north, center and south of the country,including also Easter Island and Mapuche music [131]. The national dance is the cueca. Anotherform of traditional Chilean song, though not a dance, is the tonada. Arising from music imported

by the Spanish colonists, it is distinguished from the cueca by an intermediate melodic sectionand a more prominent melody. Between 1950 and 1970 appears a rebirth in folk music leadingby groups such as Inti-Illimani,Los de Ramon, Los Cuatro Cuartos and Los Huasos Quincherosamong others [132]with composers such as Raul de Ramon, Violeta Parra, Nicanor Molinare andothers [133]. In the mid-1960s native musical forms were revitalized by the Parra family with theNueva Cancin Chilena, which was associated with political activists and reformers such asVictor Jara, and by the folksinger and researcheron folklore and Chilean ethnography, MargotLoyola.

Literature

Chileans call their countrypas de poetascountry of poets.[134][135]Gabriela Mistral was the firstChilean to win aNobel Prize for Literature (1945). Chile's most famous poet, however, is Pablo

Neruda, who also won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1971) and is world-renowned for hisextensive library of works on romance, nature, and politics. His three highly individualistichomes, located in Isla Negra, Santiago and Valparaso are popular tourist destinations.

Cuisine

Chilean cuisine is a reflection of the country's topographical variety, featuring an assortment ofseafood, beef, fruits, and vegetables. Traditional recipes include cazuela, empanadas, humitas,and curanto.

Sports

Chile's most popular sport is association football (soccer). Chile has appeared in seven FIFAWorld Cups which includes hosting the 1962 FIFA World Cup where the national football teamfinished third. Other results achieved by the national football team include four finals at the CopaAmrica, one silver and two bronze medals at the Pan American Games, a bronze medal at the2000 Summer Olympics and two third places finishes in the FIFA under-17 and under-20 youthtournaments. The main soccer clubs are Colo-Colo, CF Universidad de Chile and CDUniversidad Catlica. Colo-Colo is the country's most successful club, winning 46 nationaltournaments and three international championships, including the coveted Copa LibertadoresSouth American club tournament.[citation needed]
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Tennis is the country's most successful sport. Its national team won the World Team Cup claytournament twice in 2003-04, and played the Davis Cup final against Italy in 1976. At the 2004Summer Olympics the country captured gold and bronze in men's singles and gold in men'sdoubles. Marcelo Ros became the first Latin American man to reach the number one spot in theATP singles rankings in 1998. Anita Lizana won the US Open in 1937, becoming the first

women from Latin America to win a grand slam tournament. Luis Ayala was twice a runner-upat the French Open and both Ros and Fernando Gonzlez reached the Australian Open men'ssingles finals.

At the Olympic Games Chile boasts two gold medals (tennis), seven silver medals (athletics,Equestrian,boxing, shooting and tennis) and four bronze medals (tennis, boxing and football).

Rodeo is the country's national sport and is practiced in the more rural areas of the country. Asport similar to hockey called chueca was played by the Mapuche people during the Spanishconquest. Skiing and snowboarding are practiced at ski centers located in the Central Andes,while surfing is popular at some coastal towns.

Polo is professionally practiced within Chile and in 2008 Chile achieved top prize in the WorldPolo Championship a tournament where the country has earned both second and third places

medals in previous editions.Basketball is a popular sport in which Chile has earned a bronze medal in the first men's FIBAWorld Championship held in 1950 and winning a second bronze medal when Chile hosted the1959 FIBA World Championship. Chile hosted the first FIBA World Championship for Womenin 1953 finishing the tournament with the silver medal.

Tourism

Tourism in Chile has experienced sustained growth over the last few decades. In 2005, tourismgrew by 13.6%, generating more than 4.5 billion dollars of which 1.5 billion is attributed toforeign tourists. According to the National Service of Tourism (Sernatur), 2 million people a yearvisit the country. Most of these visitors come from other countries in the American continent,mainly Argentina; followed by a growing number from the United States, Europe, and Brazil

with a growing number of Asians from South Korea and PR China.[137]

The main attractions for tourists are places of natural beauty situated in the extreme zones of the

country: San Pedro de Atacama, in the north, is very popular with foreign tourists who arrive to

admire the Incaic architecture, the altiplano lakes, and the Valley of the Moon. In Putre, also in

the North, there is the Chungar Lake, as well as the Parinacota and the Pomerape volcanoes,

with altitudes of 6,348 m and 6,282 m, respectively. Throughout the central Andes there are

many ski resorts of international repute, like Portillo and Valle Nevado. In the south, the main

tourist sites are the Chilo Archipelago and Patagonia, which includes Laguna San Rafael

National Park, with its many glaciers, and the Torres del Paine National Park. The central port

city of Valparaso, with its unique architecture, is also popular. Finally, Easter Island in the

Pacific Ocean is one of the main Chilean tourist destinations.

For locals, tourism is concentrated mostly in the summer (December to March), and mainly inthe coastal beach towns. Arica, Iquique, Antofagasta, La Serena and Coquimbo are the mainsummer centres in the north, and Pucn on the shores ofLake Villarrica is the main one in thesouth. Because of its proximity to Santiago, the coast of the Valparaso Region, with its manybeach resorts, receives the largest number of tourists. Via del Mar, Valparaso's northern
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affluent neighbor, is popular because of its beaches, casino, and its annual song festival, the mostimportant musical event in Latin America.

In November 2005, the government launched a campaign under the brand "Chile: All WaysSurprising," intended to promote the country internationally for both business and tourism.

Natural wonders of Chile nominated by Natural 7 wondersAtacama Desert(ice formation, landscape)

The Atacama Desert is a virtually rainless plateau in Chile, covering a 600 mile strip of land on the

Pacific coast of South America, west of the Andes mountains. The rain shadow on the leeward side of the

Andes keeps this over 20 million-year-old desert 50 times drier than the Californias Death Valley. It is

the second-driest desert in the world. The Atacama occupies 70,000 square miles in northern Chile,

composed mostly of salt basins, sand, and lava flows.

Osorno, Volcano( Mountains , volcanos)

Osorno is a 2,652 m tall conical stratovolcano lying in Los Lagos, a region of Chile. It stands on the

southeastern shore of Lake Llanquihue, and is known worldwide as a symbol of the local landscape. It is

noted for its similar appearance to Mount Fuji. Osorno is one of the most active volcanoes of the southernChilean Andes, with 11 historical eruptions recorded between 1575 and 1869. The upper slopes of the

volcano are almost entirely covered in glaciers. Paine Towers, Mountain

Paine Towers is a small but spectacular mountain group in Paine Towers National Park in Chilean,

Patagonia. They are gigantic granite monoliths shaped by the forces of glacial ice, with peaks of over

2,600 meters.

Antuco, Volcano

Antuco is a stratovolcano in the Bio-Bio region of Chile, on the shore of the Laguna del Laja lake. It rises

2,985 meters above sea level and has snow on its peak throughout the year. Many different kinds of

forests grow on its slopes.

El Tatio, VolcanoEl Tatio is located within the Andes Mountains of nothern Chile at 4,200 meters above the mean sea

level. With over 80 active geysers, El Tatio is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and the

third largest field in the world. El Tatio" is roughly translated to "the grandfather.

Milodon, Cave( Caves, rock formation, vallies)

Milodon Cave is a Natural Monument located in the Chilean Patagonia, 24 km northwest of Puerto

Natales and 270 km north of Punta Arenas. It comprises three caves and a rocky formation called Silla de

Diablo (Devil's Chair). The monument is notable for the discovery in 1896 of skin, bones and other parts

of a giant ground sloth called Mylodon.

Rapa Nui, National Park (Forest)

Rapa Nui National Park is located on Easter Island, Chile. The park is divided into seven sections. Chile

first declared the island to be a National Park in 1935. Park boundaries have since varied on several

occasions in order to return land to the islanders.

San Rafael Lagoon (Seashore)

San Rafael Lagoon is an arc-shaped coastal lake located in the Aisn Region of Chile, within the national

park that bears its name. The lagoon was formed by the retreat of the San Rafael Glacier in the Northern
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Patagonian Ice Field. Today, it is popular tourism destination, with ships sailing from Puerto Chacabuco

and Puerto Montt nearly every day to see ice falling from the glacier into the lagoon.

Economy

Key indicators 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Real GDP growth (%) 3.2 -1 2.2 2.7 3.4 3.2Consumer price inflation(av; %)

8.7 2.1 3.1 3.1 3 3

Central governmentbalance(% of GDP)

5.7 -4.1 -1.4 1.1 0.9 1

Current-account balance(% of GDP)

-2 -0.9 -1.1 -1.4 -3.7 -3.7

Short-term lending rate(av; %)

13.3 7.6 8.4 8.4 7.9 7.5

Exchange rate Ps:US$ (av) 522.5 574.3 562.8 560.7 540.9 521.8

Chile's economy is based on its rich mineral resources, on agriculture, which takes advantage of

the wide variety of climatic conditions, on its rich fishing grounds, and on industry. There have

been, however, much instability in the value of the most important minerals (copper, iron,

nitrate) mined in Chile and their contribution to the GNP and to the country's exports. These

depend largely on demand and prices in the world market and on Chile's ability to compete with

other mineral-producing countries. The exploitation of Chile's mineral resources is to large

extent in the hands of foreign, mainly U.S., companies. Mining plays a dominant role in central

Chile. Forestry, fishing, and mining are important in the south.

The fluctuation in the extend and value of the production of minerals has prompted the

development of industry and agriculture, especially for export.

The annual GNP per capita was $1,510 in 1988. It has only risen by $100 since 1978. Economic

growth over recent years has been, on the average, 4 to 5 percent annually. Inflation has been one

of the lowest in Latin America

Long regarded as Latin America's best-governed country, Chile has been tarnished lately by

allegations of corruption and the mismanagement of public funds. At first the amounts involved

were so small that they seemed to confirm the country's reputation for rectitude. Six years ago

there was an outcry when $20,000 went into the wrong pockets at the Ministry for Public Works

and Transport. The same ministry was later found to be using outsourcing contracts to boost the

salaries of its civil servants.


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Since then, however, the scandals have come thicker, faster and, in some cases, grubbier. They

include charges of fraud, actual or attempted, in the government's sports-promotion agency, the

state passenger-railway service and, most recently, the civil registry.

Chiles economy has recently seemed oddly lackluster, with growth below the regional average

and inflation stubbornly high. As a small, open economy it is uncomfortably exposed to the

world recessionthe price of copper, its main export, has fallen by almost two-thirds since mid-

2008. But virtue sometimes has its reward. More than any other government in the region,

Chiles is able to take action to stimulate the economy. Now it has done so.

Monetary policy has been aggressively eased in early 2009, with inflation falling from its 2008

peak back to target. With copper prices lower than in 2004-08 and GDP contracting this year, the

fiscal accounts will turn to a deficit in 2009-10, reverting to surplus thereafter. Chile will deepen

its integration with the global economy through free-trade agreements (FTAs) with its main

trading partners. FTAs with Panama, Peru and Colombia are set to follow and talks are ongoing

with New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, Ecuador, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey.

AGRICULTURE

Only 7.3 percent of the area is agriculturally productive. Arable land is concentrated mostly in

the Central Valley in central Chile. Agriculture in northern region is largely dependent on

irrigation in areas that are, in fact, oases. Agriculture is mainly engaged in the production of

cereals, fodder, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit.

Much of the fruit is exported during the northern winter to the United States, Canada and Europe.

Chile also produces and exports a large quantity of wine.

Livestock are raised, mainly in central Chile and the northern part of the southern region.

Approximately 16 percent of Chile's area is classed as permanent grizing ground. Forests cover11.4 percent of the area, mainly in the southern region, from which 18.5 million cubic meters of

timber and pulp were produced in 1987.

Large estates (haciendas) occupy a substantial part of Chile's agricultural lands. These are

remnants of the Spanish colonial period, when extensive land grants were made to army officiers

and colonial officials. In early 1920s, nearly 90 percent of the farmland in central Chile was in

large estates. Although no official land reform has taken place, many of these estates were

broken up and sold as small farms. This process is still going on. However, much of the

agricultural land is still cultivated by tenants or by hired labor; 13.6 percent of the workforce is

employed in agriculture.

MINERAL RESOURCES

Chile is the world's largest producer of cooper. It has the world's most productive mine at

Chuquicamanta (in the northern region). Northern Chile also has rich, high-grade iron-ore

deposits, mainly in the Coquimbo area. Most of the ore is exported, and the rest is used by the

local iron and steel industry. Chile has the largest deposits of nitrate, in the Atacama Desert in


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the north. The mining and exporting of nitrate (used for fertilizers and for the production of high

explosives) fluorished during the last quarter of the nineteenth and first quarter of the twentieth

centuries.

Other minerals produced nowadays include: gold, silver, molybdenum, manganese, zinc, lead,

baixite, sulfur, and potash. Uranium, cobalt, antimony, and tungsten are also mined.

Oil and natural gas fields, near the eastern outlet of the Strait of Magellan and the northern coast

of Tierra del Fuego, produced 1,940,000 tons of oil and 4,358 million cubic meters of gas in

1986. In 1989 Chile's oil fields produced an average of 24,000 barrels per day. Coal production

was 1.3 million tons in 1986.

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

Chile's industry is largely based on local mineral resources, agricultural raw materials, and

forestry. Industries include copper refining, nitrate products, iron smelting and steel production

(in a large government-owned plant near Concepcion), oil refining, cement and various building

materials, chemicals, timber and pulp, furniture and various wood products, a wide variety of

food products, meat packing, fish packing and fish products, sugar, wine, and beer. There is also

a large textile, clothing, and leather industry. Industry is mainly concentrated in and around four

main urban centers: Santiago, the largest industrial center (in which 20 percent of the local labor

force is employed in industry), Valparaiso, Concepcion, and Valdivia.

Government policy encourages the establishment on new industries in sparsely inhabited regions,

especially in the south. Fifteen percent of the workforce is employed in industry.

The main trading partners are the United States (which takes 22% of exports and provides 20%

of imports), Japan (9 and 10 percent), Germany (10 and 8 percent), and Brazil (7 and 8 percent).

Cooper accounts for 42 percent of the exports, other minerals (gold, iron, nitrate, titanium, andothers) approximately 20 percent, fresh fruit 10 percent, fish and fish products 7 percent, and

pulp and paper 6 percent.


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Politics

Form of government

Presidential system, based on 1980 constitution

The executive

The president, elected for a period of four years, is head of state and appoints the cabinet

National legislature

Bicameral legislature (Congress): a Senate (the upper house) comprising 38 members elected for

eight years and partly renewed every four years; and a Chamber of Deputies (the lower house),

with 120 members who are all elected every four years

Legal system

The 21 Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president from lists submitted by the

Supreme Court, and confirmed by a two-thirds majority in the upper house; 16 regional courts of

appeal and members of the lower courts are appointed by the Supreme Court

National elections

December 2005 (presidential and congressional), October 2008 (municipal); next elections

December 13th 2009 (presidential and congressional), October 2012 (municipal)National government

Michelle Bachelet of the Partido Socialista (PS) heads the Concertacion coalition; she took office

as president on March 11th 2006

Main political organisations

Government: Concertacion Democratica (Concertacion) coalition, comprising the Partido

Democrata Cristiano (PDC), the Partido Radical Social Democrata (PRSD), the Partido

Socialista (PS) and the Partido por la Democracia (PPD). Opposition: Alianza por Chile (APC,

the Alianza), comprising Renovacion Nacional (RN) and the Union Democrata Independiente

(UDI); Juntos Podemos, comprising the Partido Comunista (PC), the Partido Humanista (PH),and smaller radical groups

Political history

With the reestablishment of democratic government in March 1990, Chile was once again thrust

into the international limelight. In the early 1970s, the long, narrow country on the west coast of

South America had drawn widespread attention by electing a Marxist president, Salvador


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Allende Gossens (1970-73), who was intent on forging a new path to socialism. Following

Allende's overthrow on September 11, 1973, Chile under military rule became notorious for

some of the worst excesses of modern-day authoritarianism.

Headed by General of the Army Augusto Pinochet Ugarte (1973- 90), the dictatorship was

widely reviled for ending Chile's tradition of democratic politics and committing numerous

violations of human rights. Although isolated politically, Chile's military government earned

international acclaim for far-reaching economic and social reforms that transformed the country's

state-oriented economy into one of the most open economic systems in the developing world.

The economic reforms of the late 1970s and 1980s set the foundation for extraordinary

investment and growth in the early 1990s. Economic progress, combined with the return of

democratic politics largely devoid of the confrontation and polarization of the past, positioned

Chile to enter the twenty first century with increased prosperity in a climate of peace and

freedom.

Chile's favorable situation developed because the military government's success at implementing

an economic revolution was not duplicated in the political arena. From the outset, Pinochet andhis colleagues had sought to displace the parties, politicians, and institutions of the past so that

they might create a nation of pliant and patriotic citizens, devoted to their private pursuits under

the tutelage of a strong and benevolent state with merely a faade of representative government.

However, the military commanders badly underestimated the strength of the nation's traditional

political parties and failed to understand the degree to which democratic practices and

institutions had become a fundamental part of Chile's national character. Indeed, Pinochet was

forced to abandon his plan for virtual life-long rule after a humiliating personal defeat in a 1988

plebiscite at the hands of the very civilian leaders whom he had reviled and persecuted. Their

resilience made possible the transition to democracy in March 1990 and the success of Chile's

first civilian government after seventeen years of authoritarian rule.

Chile's transition back to democracy encountered serious challenges. Although opposition groups

had vehemently rejected the Pinochet government's constitution of 1980 as illegitimate and

undemocratic, they were forced to accept the political rules and playing field as defined by the

military government in order to challenge its very authority. To a greater degree than most other

transitions to democracy in Latin America, Chile's was accomplished within the framework of an

institutional order conceived by an authoritarian regime, one that continued to define the political

game long after the return to representative government. Pinochet was unable to destroy his

adversaries or project his own presidential leadership into the future, but he succeeded in

imposing an institutional legacy that Chile's civilian elites would have to modify substantially ifChile were to become fully democratic.

Timeline: Chile. A chronology of key events:

1535 Indigenous Araucanian people successfully resist first Spanish invasion of Chile.

1541- Pedro de Valdivia begins Spanish conquest and founds Santiago.


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1553 Araucanians capture and kill Valdivia.

1810 - Junta in Santiago proclaims autonomy for Chile following the overthrow of the king of

Spain by Napoleon.

1814 - Spain regains control of Chile.

1817 - Spanish defeated by Army of the Andes led by Jose de San Martin and BernardoO'Higgins at the battles of Chacabuco and Maipu.

1818 - Chile becomes independent with O'Higgins as supreme leader.

1823-30 - O'Higgins forced to resign; civil war between liberal federalists and conservative

centralists ends with conservative victory.

1851-61 - President Manuel Montt liberalises constitution and reduces privileges of landowners

and church.

1879-84 - Chile increases its territory by one third after it defeats Peru and Bolivia in War of the

Pacific.

Late 19th century - Pacification of Araucanians paves way for European immigration; large-scale

mining of nitrate and copper begins.

1891- Civil war over constitutional dispute between president and congress ends in congressional

victory, with president reduced to figurehead.

1925 - New constitution increases presidential powers and separates church and state.

1927 General Carlos Ibanez Del Campo seizes power and establishes dictatorship.

1938-46 - Communists, Socialists and Radicals form Popular Front coalition and introduce

economic policies based on US New Deal.

1948-58 - Communist Party banned.

1952 - Gen Carlos Ibanez elected president with promise to strengthen law and order.

1964 - Eduardo Frei Montalva, Christian Democrat, elected president and introduces cautious

social reforms, but fails to curb inflation.

Pinochet dictatorship

1970 - Salvador Allende becomes world's first democratically elected Marxist president and

embarks on an extensive programme of nationalisation and radical social reform.

1973 - Gen Augusto Pinochet ousts Allende in CIA-sponsored coup and proceeds to establish a

brutal dictatorship.

1988 - Gen Pinochet loses a referendum on whether he should remain in power.

1989-90 - Christian Democrat Patricio Aylwin wins presidential election; Gen Pinochet steps

down in 1990 as head of state but remains commander-in-chief of the army.

1994-95 - Eduardo Frei succeeds Aylwin as president and begins to reduce the military's

influence in government.

Pinochet's aftermath

1998 - Gen Pinochet retires from the army and is made senator for life but is arrested in the UK

at the request of Spain on murder charges.


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2000

March - British Home Secretary Jack Straw decides that Gen Pinochet is not fit to be extradited.

Gen Pinochet returns to Chile.

Socialist Ricardo Lagos is elected president.

2000 onwards - Chilean courts strip Gen Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution severaltimes, but attempts to make him stand trial for alleged human rights offences fail, with judges

usually citing concerns over the general's health.

2002 July - Gen Pinochet resigns from his post as a lifelong senator.

2004 May - President Lagos signs a law giving Chileans the right to divorce, despite opposition

from the Roman Catholic Church.

2005 May - 45 young soldiers perish in a blizzard, prompting calls for an end to compulsory

military service.

2005 July - Senate approves changes to the Pinochet-era constitution, including one which

restores the president's right to dismiss military commanders.

2005 December - Presidential elections. Socialist Michelle Bachelet gains the most votes but

fails to win more than 50% support, forcing a second-round vote against conservative billionaire

and former senator Sebastian Pinera.

2006 January - Michelle Bachelet wins the second round of presidential elections to become

Chile's first woman president and the fourth consecutive head of state from the centre-left

Concertacion coalition. She takes office in March.

2006 August - Chile and China sign a free-trade deal, Beijing's first in South America.

2006 December - Pinochet dies.

2007 January - President Bachelet signs a decree allowing the morning-after contraceptive pill to

be given to girls as young as 14 without their parents' consent.

2007 March - Ongoing protests in the capital Santiago over chaos following the introduction of a

new transport system.

2007 June - Government agrees to pay compensation to the families of 12 victims of Pinochet.

2008 January - Peru files a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice in a bid to settle a long-

standing dispute over maritime territory with neighbouring Chile.

2008 May - Unexpected eruption of Chaiten volcano which has been dormant for 9,000 years.

Authorities order complete evacuation of two towns in Patagonian region.

2008 September - Emergency declared in parts of southern Chile where eight people were killed

in torrential rain and widespread flooding.2008 October - Local elections signal that the political right, long out of office in Chile, may be

gaining ground ahead of next year's presidential poll.

2009 February - President Bachelet makes the first visit to Cuba by a Chilean leader in almost

four decades.

republic of chile draft 1

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