Chile

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For other uses, see Chile (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 30S 71W
Republic of Chile
Repblica de Chile (Spanish)
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto:
"Por la razn o la fuerza" (Spanish)
"By right or might" [1]
Anthem:
National Anthem of Chile
MENU0:00
Chile shown in dark green; claimed but unrecognised Antarctic Territory shown in
light green.
Capital
and largest city
Santiagoa
3326'S 7040'W
National language
Spanish
Demonym Chilean
Government
Unitary presidential constitutional republic
President
Michelle Bachelet
Legislature
National Congress
Upper house
Senate
Lower house
Chamber of Deputies
Independence from Spain
First Government Junta 18 September 1810
Declared
12 February 1818
Recognized
25 April 1844
Current constitution
11 September 1980 (amended in 1989 and 2005)
Area
Total 756,096.3 km2 (38th)
291,930.4 sq mi
Water (%)
1.07b
Population
2015 estimate 18,006,407[2] (62nd)
2012 census
16,341,929[3]
Density 24/km2 (194th)
61/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2016 estimate
Total $457.534 billion[4] (42nd)
Per capita
$25,415[4] (53rd)
GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate
Total $297.714 billion[4] (38th)
Per capita
$16,573[4] (49th)
Gini (2011)
50.3[5]
high
HDI (2014)
Increase 0.832[6]
very high 42nd
Currency
Peso (CLP)
Time zone
CLT and EASTc (UTC-3 and -5)
Drives on the right
Calling code
+56
ISO 3166 code CL
Internet TLD
.cl
a.
Legislature is based in Valparaso.
b.
Includes Easter Island and Isla Sala y Gmez; does not include 1,250,000 s

quare kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of territory claimed in Antarctica.

Map of the three areas dividing the Chilean territory:
In blue: Continental Chile.
In red: Insular Chile.
In green: Antarctic Chile.
Chile (/'t??li/;[7] Spanish: ['t?ile]), officially the Republic of Chile (Spanis
h: About this sound Repblica de Chile (helpinfo)), is a South American country occ
upying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east and the Pacifi
c Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Arg
entina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. Chilean territory in
cludes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernndez, Salas y Gmez, Desventuradas, and East
er Island in Oceania. Chile also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,0
00 sq mi) of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic T
reaty.
The arid Atacama Desert in northern Chile contains great mineral wealth, princip
ally copper. The relatively small central area dominates in terms of population
and agricultural resources, and is the cultural and political center from which
Chile expanded in the late 19th century when it incorporated its northern and so
uthern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests and grazing lands, and feature
s a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords,
inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands.[8]
Spain conquered and colonized Chile in the mid-16th century, replacing Inca rule
in northern and central Chile, but failing to conquer the independent Mapuche t
hat inhabited south-central Chile. After declaring its independence from Spain i
n 1818, Chile emerged in the 1830s as a relatively stable authoritarian republic
. In the 19th century, Chile saw significant economic and territorial growth, en
ding Mapuche resistance in the 1880s and gaining its current northern territory
in the War of the Pacific (1879 83) after defeating Peru and Bolivia.[9] In the 19
60s and 1970s the country experienced severe left-right political polarization a
nd turmoil. This development culminated with the 1973 Chilean coup d'tat that ove
rthrew Salvador Allende's democratically-elected left-wing government and instit
uted a 16-year-long right-wing military dictatorship that left more than 3,000 p
eople dead or missing.[10] The regime, headed by Augusto Pinochet, ended in 1990
after it lost a referendum in 1988 and was succeeded by a center-left coalition
which ruled through four presidencies until 2010.
Chile is today one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations.[10] It
leads Latin American nations in rankings of human development, competitiveness,
income per capita, globalization, state of peace, economic freedom, and low per
ception of corruption.[11] It also ranks high regionally in sustainability of th
e state, and democratic development.[12] Chile is a founding member of the Unite
d Nations, the Union of South American Nations and the Community of Latin Americ
an and Caribbean States.
Contents [hide]
1
Etymology
2
History
2.1
Early history
2.2
Spanish colonization
2.3
Independence and nation building
2.4
20th century
2.4.1 Pinochet era (1973 1990)
2.5
21st century
3
Geography, climate, and environment
3.1
Largest cities
3.2
Climate
3.3
Biodiversity

3.3.1 Flora
3.3.2 Fauna
3.4
Topography
3.5
Hydrography
4
Demographics
4.1
Ancestry and ethnicity
4.2
Religion
4.3
Languages
4.4
Identity and traditions
5
Government and politics
5.1
Foreign relations
5.2
Administrative divisions
5.3
National symbols
6
Military
7
Economy
7.1
Infrastructure
7.1.1 Transport
7.1.2 Telecommunications
7.1.3 Water supply and sanitation
7.2
Agriculture
7.3
Tourism
8
Education
8.1
Higher education
9
Health
10
Culture
10.1
Music and dance
10.2
Literature
10.3
Cuisine
10.4
Folklore
10.4.1 Mythology
10.5
Cinema
10.6
Sports
10.7
Cultural heritage
11
See also
12
References
13
Further reading
14
External links
Etymology
There are various theories about the origin of the word Chile. According to 17th
-century Spanish chronicler Diego de Rosales,[13] the Incas called the valley of
the Aconcagua "Chili" by corruption of the name of a Picunche tribal chief ("ca
cique") called Tili, who ruled the area at the time of the Incan conquest in the
15th century.[14][15] 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.[15]
Other theories say Chile may derive its name from a Native American word meaning
either "ends of the earth" or "sea gulls";[16] from the Mapuche word chilli, wh
ich may mean "where the land ends;"[17] or from the Quechua chiri, "cold",[18] o
r tchili, meaning either "snow"[18][19] or "the deepest point of the Earth".[20]
Another origin attributed to chilli is the onomatopoeic cheele-cheele the Mapuche
imitation of the warble of a bird locally known as trile.[17][21]
The Spanish conquistadors heard about this name from the Incas, and the few surv
ivors of Diego de Almagro's first Spanish expedition south from Peru in 1535 36 ca
lled themselves the "men of Chilli".[17] Ultimately, Almagro is credited with th
e universalization of the name Chile, after naming the Mapocho valley as such.[1
5] The older spelling "Chili" was in use in English until at least 1900 before s
witching over to "Chile".[22]

History
Main article: History of Chile
Early history
The Mapuche people were the original inhabitants of southern and central Chile.
Stone tool evidence indicates humans sporadically frequented the Monte Verde val
ley area as long as 18,500 years ago.[23] About 10,000 years ago, migrating Nati
ve Americans settled in fertile valleys and coastal areas of what is present-day
Chile. Settlement sites from very early human habitation include Monte Verde, C
ueva del Milodon and the Pali Aike Crater's lava tube. The Incas briefly extende
d their empire into what is now northern Chile, but the Mapuche (or Araucanians
as they were known by the Spaniards) successfully resisted many attempts by the
Inca Empire to subjugate them, despite their lack of state organization.[24] The
y fought against the Sapa Inca Tupac Yupanqui and his army. The result of the bl
oody 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.[25]
Spanish colonization
Main articles: Conquest of Chile and Colonial Chile
In 1520, while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, Ferdinand Magellan discov
ered the southern passage now named after him, the Strait of Magellan, thus beco
ming the first European to set foot on what is now Chile. The next Europeans to
reach Chile were Diego de Almagro and his band of Spanish conquistadors, who cam
e from Peru in 1535 seeking gold. The Spanish encountered various cultures that
supported themselves principally through slash-and-burn agriculture and hunting.
[25]
The conquest of Chile began in earnest in 1540 and was carried out by Pedro de V
aldivia, one of Francisco Pizarro's lieutenants, who founded the city of Santiag
o on 12 February 1541. Although the Spanish did not find the extensive gold and
silver they sought, they recognized the agricultural potential of Chile's centra
l valley, and Chile became part of the Spanish Empire.[25]
Pedro de Valdivia
Cornelius van Wytfliet map from 1597
Conquest took place gradually, and the Europeans suffered repeated setbacks. A m
assive Mapuche insurrection that began in 1553 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. Each time the Mapuche and other na
tive groups revolted, the southern border of the colony was driven northward. Th
e abolition of slavery by the Spanish crown in 1683 was done in recognition that
enslaving the Mapuche intensified resistance rather than cowing them into submi
ssion. Despite royal prohibitions, relations remained strained from continual co
lonialist interference.[26]
Cut off to the north by desert, to the south by the Mapuche, to the east by the
Andes Mountains, and to the west by the ocean, Chile became one of the most cent
ralized, homogeneous colonies in Spanish America. Serving as a sort of frontier
garrison, the colony found itself with the mission of forestalling encroachment
by both the Mapuche and Spain's European enemies, especially the British and the
Dutch. Buccaneers and English adventurers menaced the colony in addition to the
Mapuche, as was shown by Sir Francis Drake's 1578 raid on Valparaso, the colony'
s principal port. Chile hosted one of the largest standing armies in the America
s, making it one of the most militarized of the Spanish possessions, as well as
a drain on the treasury of the Viceroyalty of Peru.[17]
The first general census was conducted by the government of Agustn de Juregui betw
een 1777 and 1778; it indicated that the population consisted of 259,646 inhabit

ants: 73.5 percent of European descent, 7.9 percent mestizos, 8.6 percent indige
nous peoples and 9.8 percent blacks. Francisco Hurtado, Governor of the province
of Chilo, conducted a census in 1784 and found the population consisted of 26,70
3 inhabitants, 64.4 percent of which were whites and 33.5 percent of which were
natives.
The Diocese of Concepcin conducted a census in areas south of the Maule river in
1812, but did not include the indigenous population or the inhabitants of the pr
ovince of Chilo. The population is estimated at 210,567, 86.1 percent of which we
re Spanish or of European descent, 10 percent of which were indigenous and 3.7 p
ercent of which were mestizos, blacks and mulattos.[27]