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Spanish speaking
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Chile
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Language |
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Spanish |
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Capital |
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Santiago |
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Other main cities |
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Concepción, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso Talcahuano, Temuco |
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Area (km2) |
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756,950 |
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Population |
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15,153,000 |
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Currency |
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Peso |
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| History of Chile |
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The Republic of Chile stretches nearly 3,000 km (with an average width of less than 180 km) along the west coast of South America between the Pacific and the Andes and stretching down to Cape Horn.
The republic includes the pacific Juan Fernandez islands and the Diego Ramirez islands and Easter Island, as well as laying claim to a section of Antarctica.
Chile retains three indigenous groups, Araucanians, Changos and Fuegians. The modern population is dominated by Mestizos, the result of continuous intermarriage between settlers and the native peoples, though Chile is one of the less ethnically diverse of the South American nations.
Spanish remains the official language of Chile and native languages are sparsely used.
Power in the region was divided between the nomadic Araucanos and the Inca civilisation until the start of Spanish settlement in the 1540s when the area was administered as part of the Spanish Peruvian possesions.
Chile became independent in 1818. In 1973 the overthrow of Dr Allende was followed by the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet who stepped down in 1989 in favour of multiparty democracy.
The majority of the population now lives in towns and cities and one third of the population live in the capital, Santiago. Chile's increasingly famous wines grow predominantly in the Vale of Chile, the main agricultural region; agriculture and copper exports form an important part of the nation's economy.
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| Did you know? |
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There are no "primitive" languages. All languages have a system of sounds, words and sentences that can adequately communicate the content of culture. |
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