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  General Information Population/Religion : The current estimated population of Chile is 16,454,143 (1). Of these, 23.6% are between the ages of 0-15, while 67.6% are from ages 15-64 (1). The average life expectancy is 77.15 years (1). Chile is a traditionally Catholic nation, with an estimated 70% of Chileans belonging to that church (2). According to census data other declared denominations or groupings include: Protestant or Evangelical (15.1%), Jehovah's Witnesses (1%), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (0.9%), Jewish (0.1%), Atheist or Agnostic (8.3%), and other (4.4%). Less than 0.1% are either Orthodox or Muslim (2).  Geography : Chile is located along the western coast of South America’s Southern Cone, between the highest peaks of the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the longest countries in the world, stretching 4,300 km, and also one of the narrowest. Its average width is only 180 km (3). Chile has a variety of landscapes such as the Atacama Desert in the north – the world’s driest desert - the fertile farming valleys in the center, the fascinating Easter Island (Rapa Nui), the stunning southern Lake District, the Patagonia, and the isolated Tierra del Fuego (3). Chile is divided into 15 regions, including the Metropolitan Region, which contains the capital, Santiago. The regions are further divided into 53 provinces. The provinces are divided into more than 300 municipalities (4). The northern Atacama Desert contains great mineral wealth, primarily copper and nitrates. The relatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources (5). The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands (5).



Government : The politics of Chile take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Chile is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Congress. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature (6). Chile's Constitution was approved in a national plebiscite in September 1980, under the military government of Dictator Augusto Pinochet. It entered into force in March 1981. After Pinochet's defeat in the 1988 plebiscite, the Constitution was amended to ease provisions for future amendments to the Constitution (6). In September 2005, President Ricardo Lagos signed into law several constitutional amendments passed by Congress. These include eliminating the positions of appointed senators and senators for life, granting the President authority to remove the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces, and reducing the presidential term from six to four years (6).  Economy : Chile's economy is based on the export of minerals, which account for about half of the total value of exports. Copper is the nation's most valuable resource, and Chile is the world's largest producer. Agriculture is the main occupation of about 15% of the population; it accounts for about 6% of the national wealth, and produces less than half of the domestic needs (7). The Vale of Chile is the country's primary agricultural area; its vineyards are the basis of Chile's wine industry. Grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, and beans are the chief crops (7). Livestock production includes beef and poultry (7). Sheep raising is the chief pastoral occupation, providing wool and meat for domestic use and for export. Fishing and lumbering are also important economic activities. Chile's industries largely process its raw materials and manufacture various consumer goods (7). The major products are copper and other minerals, processed food, fish meal, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transportation equipment, and textiles (7). Chile ’s official currency is the peso. Bills come in denominations of $500, $1000, $2000, $5000, $10,000, $20,000; and coins of $1, $5, $10, $50, $100 and $500 (3). Most internationally recognized currencies can be exchanged at commercial banks and foreign exchange agencies ( casa de cambio) at rates set by the market. Chile does not have a fixed exchange rate. The estimated exchange rate for Chilean Currency is approximately 530 Chilean pesos ($ or CLP) for 1 US $. (October 2005) (3). 


HISTORY OF CHILE  Chile has a rich history. Because of Chile’s harsh geography and isolated location, it was possibly among the last places to be populated in the Americas (History of Chile). Chile had over a dozen indigenous tribes. Its largest Indian group in Chile was the Mapuche. The Mapuche were a proud tribe. The skilled warriors of the Mapuche stopped Incan expansion in The Battle Muale, and the Incas were only able to colonize a small section of northern Chile (History of Chile). 

“In 1520, the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan became the first European to reach what is now Chile” (Monteon). Shortly after, in 1541, Pedro de Valdavia crossed into Chile’s central valley and founded the settlement Santiago on February 12 (Chile: History and Culture). Spanish conquest was met with heavy resistance from the Mapuche, however, and six months after Santiago was founded, the Mapuche destroyed it (Monteon). Nevertheless, the Spaniards persisted in their conquest of Chile. Valdavia gained control of Incan lands and various other tribes’ territory, but never could gain control of the Mapuche’s holdings.  Spain ruled much of Chile from the 1500’s to the early 1800’s (Monteon). Chile’s fight for independence from the Spanish was made easier because of the Spanish empire’s turmoil in the early nineteenth century. After Napoleon Bonaparte took control of Spain and removed King Ferdinand VII from the throne in 1808, a movement for independence began growing in Chile and other Spanish colonies in South America (Monteon). Patriots such as José de San Martín and Manuel Rodriguez Erdoiza often used guerrilla warfare against the Spanish. “Chilean independence was formally proclaimed on February 12, 1818, and the last of its territory, Chiloé, was wrested from Spanish rule by 1826” (History of Chile). <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> Though Chile was now an independent nation, much of the social aspects of Spanish Colonization remained throughout the nineteenth century. The Roman Catholic Church gained much influence throughout Chile in the n1800’s. During the next hundred years the Chilean government went through many reforms as it struggled between the Conservatives, who favored a strong central government that would carry on many of the policies of the colonial period, and the Liberals, who supported constitutional government (History of Chile). After a brief civil war Chile became a government of representative democracy (Chile: History and Culture). The Chilean government in Santiago also started the suppression of the Mapuche in the late nineteenth century (History of Chile). <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> In 1970 Salvador Allende was elected to be Chile’s President. Allende was a member of the communist party, and in the first year of his term there was a huge economy boost (History of Chile). However there was much debate over Allende’s communist rule. “In its "Declaration of the Breakdown of Chile’s Democracy", on August 22, 1973, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile asserted that Chilean democracy had broken down and called for Allende's removal, by military force if necessary, to restore constitutional rule” (History of Chile). The general of the Chilean army, Augusto Pinochet, became Chile’s new president and remained so until 1990. In 1990 Pinochet gave up his rule to rightfully elected Patricio Aylwin Azocar. “Chile's political climate has since remained stable, although there is still considerable tension between the military and the government concerning the human rights violations of the Pinochet era” (Chile: History and Culture).

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= = =<span style="display: block; font-size: 180%; color: rgb(248, 32, 61); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center">Chilean Cuisine <span style="display: block; font-size: 180%; color: rgb(248, 32, 61); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 180%; color: rgb(248, 32, 61); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center">    <span style="display: block; font-size: 180%; color: rgb(248, 32, 61); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center">  <span style="display: block; font-size: 180%; color: rgb(248, 32, 61); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: center">  = = = <span style="display: block; font-size: 270%; color: rgb(249, 71, 31); font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; text-align: center"><span style="color: rgb(1, 0, 16)">. media type="custom" key="723825" <span style="display: block; font-size: 270%; color: rgb(249, 71, 31); font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; text-align: center"><span style="color: rgb(1, 0, 16)"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 270%; color: rgb(249, 71, 31); font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; text-align: center"><span style="color: rgb(1, 0, 16)">  <span style="display: block; font-size: 270%; color: rgb(249, 71, 31); font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; text-align: center"><span style="color: rgb(1, 0, 16)">  Chile has a wide range of different foods. This is mostly due to the large coastline, land mass, culture, and isolation from most other civilizations. The first thing you may notice when you walk into a Chilean Restaurant is their neat napkins [1]. Most Chilean restaurants have nice and elegant napkins. You may actually want to look around to see if others are using the napkins before using them [1]. The isolation from European cultures made Chile devolop their own type of food. Most Chile food consists of seafood because of their large coastline [2]. Corn is also used in Chilean food. This is due to their Spanish and Incan descent. Chile's landmass has helped the devolopment in all different types of foods and drinks. Inland Chile uses more meat for foods while outland locations use fish. The geography also contributed to the different types food. Travel wasn't openly accesible because of the Indes mountains. Chilean people were left to devolop food with the products that were readily available. Once travel became more accessible. Chile became a melting pot of different food customs and practices [3].

Chilean Customs Chilean Food Chilean Drinks

<span style="color: rgb(245, 41, 41); background-color: rgb(8, 7, 7)"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-size: 36pt; color: rgb(51, 153, 102); font-family: 'Century Gothic'"><span style="color: rgb(250, 30, 30)"> Entertainment <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="color: rgb(16, 15, 15)"><span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="color: rgb(245, 41, 41); background-color: rgb(8, 7, 7)"> <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(26, 25, 25); background-color: rgb(253, 252, 252)">The form of art Chile is most renowned for is its poetry. One of the       <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">  country’s greatest points of artistic pride is its poet,  Gabriela Mistral      <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">**, ** the first Latin American woman to win the <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">Nobel Prize <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">for Literature(1). The most famous Chilean poet however, is Pablo Neruda         <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-size: 75%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> **   ( 2). **      <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> The other visual art forms of Chile have always reflected the cultural feeling of the time period depending on the generation. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">“The entanglement of art and politics...has produced some of the more radical and dominant art” (3). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">Famous artists such as Carlos Sotomayor, and Claudio Brevo contributed their realist and cubist art. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">An infamous large-scale example of Chilean art is the heads <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> on <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">[|Easter Island] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> The music of Chile reflects the country’s Latin roots, although other genres exist much like the music of any other country. Chile however, has a “rich folkloric tradition” (4) that has many different styles  and variations. This traditional form was brought back to popularity with the music of Violeta Parra who continues to be popular in Chile today. This music, such as the cueca draws its influence from the music of Spain and also has elements of Argentinean and Mexican style too. The common instrumentation for these variations include pianos, accordians, and guitars among others(4). ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">  Chilean theatre has a rich background and flourished until the totalitarianism regime gained control. This caused the institution to “suffer a setback”(5) as the “artistic life was stifled”(5). However, when democracy returned to Chile, the arts had a renaissance of sorts and theatre was allowed to blossom once again as experimental works. It continues to flourish today as popular tourist destinations. ======

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"> Film is another important aspect of the culture of Chile. As most aspects of this country, this acclaimed examples of this medium focus on the political and cultural turmoil of the nation or has similar dark tones and themes. The film directed by Silvio Caiozzi, Coronation, (6) is one of Chile’s most well-known examples of its award winning film. As with any other culture, Chile has its fair share of idolized actors and actresses too. Some of these are Patricio Contreras, and Malu Gatica(7). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">  ======

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<span style="font-size: 85%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif">Most Latin American nations are very active in sports and Chile is no exception. However, in comparison to other nations in this region, Chile does not prioritize sports very highly. Soccer is a major part of everyday life(8). It would be very difficult to find a citizen who does not follow the team, Chile National Football Team. In 1974, one of the players, Carlos Caszely became the first player ever to recieve a red card (, setting off a controversy. Although the people love to watch the national and world games, pick-up games in parks are also a common occurrence. Other hobbies and past-times include white-water rafting, hiking in the surrounding Andes, biking and fishing. ======


 * [[image:http://www.delcanton.com/images/violeta_parra_antologia.jpg]][[image:http://www.fusionanomaly.net/robertomattastartravel.jpg width="250" height="225"]][[image:http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39988000/jpg/_39988555_chileteam203.jpg width="269" height="226"]]

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