The Republic of Chile (or Chile) is one of the most interesting countries in South America. It was named possibly after three things:
- An ancient language that means “sea gulls” which also translates into “the ends of the earth”;
- The Spaniard Diego de Almagro who called the area the valley of “Chile” because of the shape of the country on the map, which is a chili. Chile is a long, narrow strip of land that is bound by the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains on the west and east, Peru and Bolivia and Argentina on the north and north-east. Chile has claims over Pacific islands and area in Antartica .
The country now known as Chile used to be ruled by the Incans and the Mapuche with the former occupying the northern territories and the latter the southern territories. In the 16th century, the country was discovered and claimed by Spain until February 12, 1818 when Chile declared its independence. A series of territorial wars with its neighbors Peru and Bolivia resulted in what is known as the War of the Pacific (1879 to 1883) and more importantly, Chile winning and owning its northern-most territories .
Today Chile is a stable and rich South American country. In the continent of South America, Chile leads in human development, in state of peace, in economic freedom, in income per capita (per family), in degree of globalization and has a very low perception of corruption. Chile is ranked highly in terms of sustainability and democratic development and is a member country of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United Nations, the Union of South American Nations. It is also a member of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
Chile is believed to have a lot of buried treasure due to stories about the English sailor Sir Francis Drake hiding a lot of jewels, gold and other treasures in all parts of Chile. According to stories, Sir Francis discovered the Guayacan Bay in 1578. Soon after, the bay became a bastion for pirates, most of whom plundered galleons from Spain . Treasures have never been found but the real treasure of Chile is its mines. Copper makes up about 20% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and about 60% of its worldwide exports. One particularly Chilean mine, the Espondida, makes 5% of the entire planet’s supply of copper. The Chilean government controls copper and provides it and all other industries in Chile the right economic policies and frameworks to compete in the global market place. Since the 1980s the Chilean government has strived to improve its economic standing and have achieved economic growth by the year 2003. Employment rates increased while poverty rates were cut in half. Growth increased and is at around 5% for the first quarter of 2013.
Chile has very good tourism draws. In 2005, the tourist arrivals in Chile increased by 14% (or about 4.5 million US$ in additional revenues). This translates to about two million people vising Chile and enjoying the Incan architecture, the rich natural wonders such as the Valley of the Moon, the Chungara Lake, ski resorts in the Andes mountains and the stone heads in the Easter islands known as “Moai” .
Chile was ruled by the Spanish and thus, the country is predominantly Catholic and speaks Spanish. Chilean culture and arts is a mixed of Andean culture, pre-Spanish culture and Spanish cultures. Music in Chilean ranges from folk to classical to popular music. Some of Chile’s musical greats have reached international acclaim. Chile enjoys its football as well, having been the host of the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Sadly, Chile has not brought home a football championship from FIFA yet .
Works Cited
This is Chile. (2011, April 11). Myths, legends and magic of Chile. Retrieved July 29, 2013, from This Is Chile: http://www.thisischile.cl/Article.aspx?SEC=358&ID=1292&e
WikiAnswers. (2013). Why Do They Call "Chile" Chile? Retrieved July 29, 2013, from WikiAnswers: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_they_call_Chile_'_Chile'
Wikipedia. (2013). Chile. Retrieved July 29, 2013, from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile
