This paper will discuss the history of Chile in terms of how it was formed and the occupants as well as the current state of the nation. It will focus on the culture and society of Santiago, Chile by bringing out the economy and resources, the social bureaucracy and the controversies involved. To start with, Chile is located in the Southern south region of America between the state of Argentina and Peru. It also borders the Pacific Ocean to the south. The capital city of Chile is Santiago. The state of Chile is believed to have originated from the native Aymara word chilli that means “the land where the earth ends.” The population of Chile uses the official language of the Republic which is Spanish. The Chilean culture is mostly made up of the European style as the predominant people. However, the nation is made up of different groups of people who migrate from different parts of the world and are assimilated into the culture of the Spanish language. The Chilean people have also been known for their belief in the Roman Catholicism.1
The Catholic religion has significantly contributed in giving guidelines for the social and political life. It also provides religious instructions in public schools that help shape the conduct of the students as they grow up. The Roman Catholic Church extends its influence even to the laws governing where it maintains that abortion is an illegal act. The Human Rights are generally respected by all Chilean citizens. In the year 2004, the nation had passed a law where divorce was an illegal act. The country ethnic aspect is shaped by the strong influence of the mixture between the Spanish settlers and the distinct indigenous groups of people. The country’s population is made up of a huge number of immigrants who have shaped the culture and society. These immigrants come from nationalities such as: Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, England, North America, Yugoslavia and Croatia. Other nations have moved to Chile over the past few years and influenced more cultural and social changes.
The national flag of Chile and the national anthem are the most essential symbols of national identity. The flag is made up of two horizontal bands white and red colors which symbolize the Andean snow and the Indians blood that was shed during the struggle against the Spanish invaders. The flag also consists of a blue square at the hoist- side end of the white band and has a white five- pointed star at the center which symbolizes the clear blue sky. The white star represents the coat of arms that was used by the Araucanian Indians in the banners used in their battlefield. The nation celebrates its’ national day on the 18th of September every year to honor the day the country gained independence from the Spanish rule in 1810. It symbolizes national unity and the Chilean people celebrate it by enjoying their traditional food and type of music (folklore). 2
Over the past few years, Chile has been on the dominating end of the Latin American Nations in terms of economic performance. This was brought about by the adoption of the market- oriented structural forms. At around the year 1983 to the late 90’s there was immense economic growth reported in Chile that accounted for about 6.4%. This emerged from the manufacturing industries that accounted for about 17% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Other sources of income such as; fishing, agriculture and forestry brought about an additional 8% and mining as well added another 8%. This brought the GDP figure to about $80 billion (U.S) in the year 1997.3 Another aspect that is incorporated in the evaluation of Chile’s economy and resources is the issue of land tenure and property. In the 1960’s land was owned by high and mighty people who occupied the western Hemisphere of the country. As years went on land reforms were made that dealt away with the issue land ownership among the wealthy. After the military government took over in the period between 1973-1990 land tenure became a private matter and the agrarian producers were made to modernize their resources for them to survive in the foreign competition. Analysis conducted in the year 1997 proved that majority of the land, 84.8%, had been privatized and only 5% owned by tenants. Up to date most of the farming land is found on the Mapuche Indians part of their ancestral land.
The economy of Chile is made up of major industries that produce resources such as copper, food products, fish processing, iron and steel, wood products, transportation equipment, cement and textiles. These products largely boosted the economy and improved the infrastructure of the country. Similarly, trade has also moved the country steps ahead in terms of developing the economy. Foreign trade accounts for roughly 20% of GDP. It has a foreign market that exports more than 3800 different products to over 170 markets worldwide. The major exports recorded in the country are copper, industrial goods, sea and agricultural products as well as other minerals. The major export markets are: Europe that accounts for about 29%, Asia at 26%, Latin America that accounts for 23% and North America that holds 19% of the foreign market sales. 2 Another aspect that constitutes the economy and resources of Chile, is the division of labor. It has contributed to the growth of the country by ensuring that all the employees working in the local and foreign markets are well educated. This has improved the literacy rate to about 95.2%. Employees in the market only hire people who have attained full secondary education.
The social bureaucracy of Chile involves the role of the family, the class structure and the social customs. The classes and castes of the people of Chile are divided by the aspect of wealth. Being one of the most modern and advanced countries across the Latin America, Chile has very low levels of poverty but on the other hand poor strategies of distributing wealth. The richest population obtains almost half of the total national income while the poorest only get a small portion of it. Class therefore leads to discrimination across the country where most of the Chileans are classified depending on the wealth. They have lower, middle and upper classes which are obtained along financial lines. The same people who owned huge masses of land in the colonial periods are the same people who remain richest in Chile. Almost half of the population is made up of middle class people. The family also plays an important role in the social aspect of the country. Most of the businesses in Chile are owned and managed by family members. This is because family and businesses are closely related to an extent that nepotism is not much of an issue. These families also hold occasions and celebrations where they involved even their extended family members. 5
One of the controversial issues found in Chile is abortion, gay or lesbian marriages. These issues have brought much debate in the country as well as the world since the Roman Catholic Church is strongly believed and influences the society. This arises due to the fact that Chile has relative equality between men and women. However, one of the limitation in resources is where social security issues affect the growth and development of a nation. Chile adopts the policy of social security where workers are expected to contribute an amount that is supposed to cater for their cover in the social securities. This in turn affects the employment rates as most of the people do not give much emphasis to the services offered by social security agencies. The country also contains various contractions on foreign investment as the resource base declines with the general contraction of issues such as HIV/AIDS.4 Foreign investment would lead to a situation that resource exports lead to a rapid contraction of the non- resource traded goods sector. Policies such as the Dutch Disease are limited in the Chilean economy.
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