Continuing its export-oriented development strategy, Chile completed landmark free trade agreements in with the European Union and South Korea. To that end, it has signed trade agreements in recent years with New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, India, China, and most recently Japan. In , Chile hopes to conclude an FTA with Australia, and finalize an expanded agreement covering trade in services and investment with China. The P4 Chile, Singapore, New Zealand, and Brunei also plan to expand ties through adding a finance and investment chapter to the existing P4 agreement.
Chile's trade talks with Malaysia and Thailand are also scheduled to continue in After two years of negotiations, the United States and Chile signed an agreement in June that will lead to completely duty-free bilateral trade within 12 years. The U. The bilateral FTA has inaugurated greatly expanded U. Chile unilaterally lowered its across-the-board import tariff for all countries with which it does not have a trade agreement to 6 percent in Higher effective tariffs are charged only on imports of wheat, wheat flour, and sugar as a result of a system of import price bands.
The price bands were ruled inconsistent with Chile's World Trade Organization WTO obligations in , and the government has introduced legislation to modify them. Under the terms of the U. Chile's financial sector has grown quickly in recent years, with a banking reform law approved in that broadened the scope of permissible foreign activity for Chilean banks. The Chilean Government implemented a further liberalization of capital markets in , and there is further pending legislation proposing further liberalization.
Over the last ten years, Chileans have enjoyed the introduction of new financial tools such as home equity loans, currency futures and options, factoring, leasing, and debit cards. The introduction of these new products has also been accompanied by an increased use of traditional instruments such as loans and credit cards.
Tourism in Chile has experienced sustained growth over the last few decades. In , tourism grew by According to the National Service of Tourism Sernatur , 2 million people a year visit the country.
Most of these visitors come from other countries in the American continent, mainly Argentina; followed by a growing number from the United States, Europe, and Brazil with a growing number of Asians from South Korea and PR China. The main attractions for tourists are places of natural beauty situated in the extreme zones of the country: San Pedro de Atacama, in the north, is very popular with foreign tourists who arrive to admire the Incaic architecture, the altiplano lakes, and the Valley of the Moon.
For locals, tourism is concentrated mostly in the summer December to March , and mainly in the coastal beach towns. In November , the government launched a campaign under the brand "Chile: All Ways Surprising," intended to promote the country internationally for both business and tourism. Chile's census reported a population of Its rate of population growth has been decreasing since , due of a declining birth rate.
By the population is expected to reach approximately About 85 percent of the country's population lives in urban areas, with 40 percent living in Greater Santiago. The largest agglomerations according to the census are Greater Santiago with 5. Chile is a multiethnic society, and a majority of the population can claim some European ancestry, mainly Spanish Castilian, Andalusian, and Basque , but also German, Italian, Irish, French, British, Swiss, and Croatian, in various combinations.
A small yet influential number of Irish and English immigrants came to Chile during the colonial period. German immigration began in the mids and continued into the 20th century; the southern provinces of Valdivia, Llanquihue, and Osorno show a strong German influence. In addition, there are a significant number of Middle Eastern, mainly Palestinian, immigrants and their descendants. About , Native Americans, mostly Mapuche, reside in the south-central area.
The Aymara, Atacameno, and Diaguita groups can be found mainly in Chile's northern desert valleys and oases.
The largest contingent of people to arrive in Chile came from Spain, mainly the Basque country, beginning in the 16th century. Estimates of the number of people in Chile who can trace descent from Basques range from 10 percent 1,, to as high as 27 percent 4,, Louis Thayer Ojeda estimates that during the 17th and 18th centuries fully 45 percent of all immigrants in Chile were Basques.
In an important and substantial German immigration took place, laying the foundation for the German-Chilean community. Sponsored by the Chilean government for the colonization of the southern region, the Germans including German-speaking Swiss, Silesians, Alsatians and Austrians , strongly influenced the ethnic composition of the southern provinces of Chile. German immigrants have made a cultural impact in many areas of southern Chile, which is a sparsely populated region.
The Consulate of Chile in Germany estimates that , to , Chileans, or between 3 to 3. It is estimated that nearly five percent of the Chilean population, or about , people, are of Middle Eastern origin these include, most notably, Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese and Middle Eastern Armenians. Note that Israelis, both Jewish and non-Jewish citizens of the nation of Israel, may be included. Chile is home to a large population of immigrants, mostly Christian, from the Levant.
Roughly , of Chile's population is of full or partial Palestinian origin. Other historically significant immigrant groups in Chile include Croatians, whose descendants today have been estimated to number some , people or about 2. Other authorities estimate that close to 4.
Over , Chileans, or about 4. Chileans of Greek descent are estimated to number between 90, and , people, placing Chile among the five countries in the world with the most Greek descendants. Most live in or near either Santiago or Antofagasta. Swiss descendants add another 90, people to the population. Perhaps five percent of the Chilean population has some French ancestry.
Between , and , Chileans are descended from Italian immigrants. Other groups of Europeans have followed but are found in smaller numbers, as the descendants of Austrians and Dutchmen it is currently estimated at about 50, people.
Altogether, these immigrants with their descendants, they have transformed the country culturally, economically and politically. European emigration to Chile and to a lesser extent, the arrivals from the Middle East , during the second half of the 19th century and throughout the twentieth, was mostly to Latin America and then to areas like the Atlantic Coast of the Southern Cone.
Descendants of different European ethnic groups often intermarried in Chile, diluting the cultures and separate identities of the home countries and fusing them together with the descendants of the original Basque-Castilian aristocracy of the colonial period, while at the same time preserving some separate aspects.
This intermarriage and mixture of cultures and races has help shape the present society and culture of the Chilean middle and upper classes, who now enjoy varied elements of their original European cultures, such as British afternoon tea, German cakes, and Italian pasta. The fusion is also visible in the architecture of Chilean cities. These classes do, however, frequently deprecate Chilean folk culture, an offshoot of the culture of the Spaniards who settled the country in the colonial period.
Chile has recently become a new magnet for immigrants, mostly from neighboring Argentina, Bolivia and mainly Peru. According to an estimate by the Migration and Foreign Residency Department, , foreigners were living in Chile as of December The census reported , Indians, or 3.
Only those that practiced their native culture or spoke their native language were considered, irrespective of their "racial purity. According to the census, only indigenous people that still practiced a native culture or spoke a native language were surveyed, and 4. Of that, Most of the indigenous population show varying degrees of mixed ancestry. Chile is one of 22 countries to have signed and ratified the only binding international law concerning indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, Chile ratified it in A Chilean court decision in November , considered to be a landmark ruling in indigenous rights concerns, made use of the convention.
In the most recent census , 70 percent of the population over age 14 identified as Roman Catholic and Approximately 90 percent of evangelicals are Pentecostal. Irreligious people, atheists, and agnostics account for around 8 percent of the population. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and other laws and policies contribute to the generally free practice of religion. The law at all levels protects this right in full against abuse, either by governmental or private actors.
Church and state are officially separate in Chile. The law on religion prohibits religious discrimination. However, the Catholic Church enjoys a privileged status and occasionally receives preferential treatment. Government officials attend Catholic events as well as major Protestant and Jewish ceremonies. The government has recently declared 31 October, Reformation Day, a public national holiday, in honor of the Protestant churches of the country.
In , St. Teresa de los Andes. The Spanish spoken in Chile is distinctively accented and quite unlike that of neighbouring South American countries because final syllables and " s " sounds are dropped, and some consonants have a soft pronunciation.
Accent varies only very slightly from north to south; more noticeable are the small differences in accent based on social class or whether one lives in the city or the country. That the Chilean population was largely formed in a small section at the center of the country and then migrated in modest numbers to the north and south helps explain this relative lack of differentiation, which was maintained by the national reach of radio, and now television, which also helps to diffuse and homogenize colloquial expressions.
After the Spanish invasion, Spanish took over as the lingua franca and the indigenous languages have become minority languages, with some now extinct or close to extinction. German is still spoken to some extent in southern Chile, either in small country side pockets or as a second language among the communities of larger cities. Through initiatives such as the English Opens Doors program, the government made English mandatory for students in fifth-grade and above in public schools.
Most private schools in Chile start teaching English from kindergarten. Common English words have been absorbed and appropriated into everyday Spanish speech. During the period between early agricultural settlements and to the late pre-Hispanic period, northern Chile was a region of Andean culture that was influenced by altiplano traditions spreading to the coastal valleys of the north.
While southern regions were areas of Mapuche cultural activities. Through the colonial period following the conquest, and during the early Republican period, the country's culture was dominated by the Spanish. Other European influences, primarily English, French, and German began in the 19th century and have continued to this day.
Music in Chile ranges from folkloric music, popular music and also to classical music. Its large geography generates different musical expressions in the north, center and south of the country, including also Easter Island and Mapuche music. The national dance is the cueca. Another form of traditional Chilean song, though not a dance, is the tonada.
Arising from music imported by the Spanish colonists, it is distinguished from the cueca by an intermediate melodic section and a more prominent melody. This entry has been automagically sourced from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia.
Visit Chile on Wikipedia to correct or update this entry. Reserve Tickets. Plan Your Visit. Getting Here. Upcoming Programs. Interaction Lab. National Design Awards. Corporate Support. Explore the Collection. Research Library. Study Centers. School Programs.
Emerging Designers. Professional Development. Smithsonian Learning Lab. Design Camp at Home. National Design Month. You Create an account Sign in. OK Cancel. Etymology There are various theories about the origin of the word Chile. History Early history and colonization About 10, years ago, migrating Native Americans settled in fertile valleys and coastal areas of what is present-day Chile. Independence The usurpation of the Spanish throne by Napoleon's brother Joseph in precipitated the drive by the colony for independence from Spain.
Politics The current Constitution of Chile was approved in a national plebiscite —regarded as "highly irregular" by some observers— in September , under the military government of Augusto Pinochet. Defense The Armed Forces of Chile are subject to civilian control exercised by the president through the Minister of Defense. Foreign relations Since the early decades after independence, Chile has always had an active involvement in foreign affairs. Administrative divisions Chile is divided into 15 regions, each headed by an intendant appointed by the president.
Geography A long and narrow coastal Southern Cone country on the west side of the Andes Mountains, Chile stretches over 4, kilometres 2, mi north to south, but only kilometres mi at its widest point east to west. Climate The diverse climate of Chile ranges from the world's driest desert in the north—the Atacama—through a Mediterranean climate in the centre, humid subtropical in Easter Island, to an oceanic climate, including alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and south.
Biodiversity Fauna Chile's geographical isolation also has restricted the immigration of faunal life, so that only a few of the many distinctive South American animals are found. There are two houses of congress, the National Congress and the Senate. The northern part of the country was ruled by the Inca before the Spanish took control in the 16th century.
Native Mapuche people lived in the southern and central regions before the country became a Spanish colony. The country gained independence from Spain in Toward the end of the s, many Europeans began to settle in Chile, including Germans, French, British, and Italians. Many Chinese moved to Chile to help build the railroad. Chile was once considered to be a very stable and free country. But in a bloody battle overthrew Salvador Allende's elected Marxist government and the country suffered 16 years under the dictatorship of Gen.
Augusto Pinochet. Democracy was restored in All rights reserved. Personality Quizzes. Funny Fill-In. Amazing Animals. Weird But True! Party Animals. Try This! Explore More. Close encounters of the Chile kind! Chileans are the second biggest consumers of bread in the world - just behind the Germans. No wonder, considering how unbelievably delicious the different types of bread are, such as the popular marraqueta loaves.
The Gran Torre in Santiago - a staggering 62 stories high - is the tallest building in South America. Head up to the newly opened observation deck for an amazing view of the city and the surrounding Andean cordillera.
One of the most interesting cultural traditions in Chile takes place on the islands of the Chiloe archipelago - the minga. When a family wants to move their house, the community comes together to literally remove the wooden house from its foundations, and uses a team of oxen and logs to pull it to its new home, or ties it to a boat and gently floats it to a different island! The Atacama Desert is the driest desert in the world , with average rainfall measuring about 0.
There are some places in the Atacama that have never even registered rainfall since recording began. But when the rains do come, parts of the desert bloom with beautiful fields of purple flowers that stretch for miles.
Crack open a cold one! Even though Chile is internationally known for its succulent red wines and its devilish pisco, Chile also has a strong and diverse beer culture! This is thanks to a strong influx of German immigrants from the late s, who came to Chile to live in the South and brought their brewing traditions and cuisine and architecture as well with them. So be sure to sample some local craft brews during your visit. Chileans know how to ring in the New Year with style!
In , a Guinness World Record was achieved for setting off 16, fireworks. Housed at the San Alfonso del Mar Resort, the pool stretches the length of 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools and holds 66 million gallons.
Chile may be known for its wine, but the vines are not indigenous to the region. Vitis viniferia vines were first brought over by the Spanish colonizers.
After the Essex sank, the remaining sailors were able to survive for some time on some islands off the coast before being saved and taken to the port city of Valparaiso. Oh brave new world! The largest earthquake ever recorded - a 9.
The shake lasted roughly eleven to thirteen minutes, and overall claimed anywhere from 1, to 6, lives due to the severity of the quake and the resulting tsunami. But don't worry - Chile has a long history with earthquakes and all the buildings are built to withstand tremors big and small. Chile has one of the only two permanent civilian bases on the continent of Antarctica. One route of the Pan-American Highway ends in the town of Quellon on the grand island of Chiloe , featuring a giant marker for photo opportunities and even the chance to purchase a commemorative declaration.
The other official route crosses the continent and ends in the Argentinean city of Ushuaia. Think that the flag of Chile looks like the flag of Texas? BUT the Chilean flag is actually 21 years older than the Texan flag. However, both are modeled after the stars and stripes flag for the United States of America.
0コメント