CHILE
The Republic of Chile lies in the West of South America occupying a long, narrow ribbon of land along the Pacific Ocean. The Andes mountains lies to its east and the Pacific Ocean to the west and it borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south.
Chile was a colony of Spain from the 1500s until it achieved independence in the early 1800s, but the early years of independent Chile were troubled by political instability. The gap between rich and poor in Chile remains wide.
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
The country has an extraordinary, elongated shape and a remarkable geography to match. It stretches thousands of miles from one end to the other, and its land consists of arid, rain-starved desert in the north to the icy glaciers of the south. The beautiful Andes mountain range, which defines the country's easterly border, is rarely far from sight.
The weather of the country ranges from hot and arid in the north to very cold in the far south. The central areas have an idyllic Mediterranean climate.
ECONOMY AND CURRENCY
The monetary unit of Chile is Peso. Chile is one of the leading industrialized nations of Latin America and has a strong economy based on mining, especially copper mining, and agricultural goods, largely for export. This South American nation is the world’s largest producer and exporter of copper and also exports fruits and vegetables, and its wines have become popular in many countries.
PEOPLE, CULTURE AND LANGUAGE
The population by latest estimate is 16,601,707. Chile is one of the most urbanized countries in South America with 88% of the population living in urban centers, out of which nearly one-third of the country’s population lives in the capital city of Santiago. Most of the inhabitants of the country are of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, and Spanish is the official language of Chile.
Originally the country was a region of Andean culture that was influenced by altiplano traditions which spread to the coastal valleys of the north and the southern regions were areas of Mapuche cultural activities. However, during the colonial period, and during the early Republican period, the country's culture was dominated by the Spanish. The other European influences like English, French, and German, began in the 19th century and have continued to this day.
CAPITAL
The country's capital city is Santiago, which is a vast, often smoggy sprawl set between the Andes and a coastal mountain range. Santiago into one of Latin America's most modern metropolitan areas and a World Alpha City with extensive suburban development, dozens of shopping malls, and impressive high-rise architecture.
HOW TO REACH
Air
Chile's main airline is LAN which deals with international flights and its main airport Santiago (Arturo Merino Benitez) airport is 21km (11 miles) northwest of Santiago Bus services to the city center are available and there are a lot of taxis to the city too, at the airport.
Water
The main port is Valparaíso and shipping lines from New York and European ports operate there.
Road
There are frequent, reliable and comfortable buses that can come from as far north as Ecuador and there are also services from Argentina and Brazil to Santiago.
TRAVEL DESTINATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Valparaíso is one of the most atmospheric port cities in Latin America. This city with its winding hills and a network of steep streets and colorful clapboard houses inspired the poet Pablo Neruda.
The beautiful Lake District of Chile is made up of national parks that offer remarkably lovely views of ancient monkey puzzle trees, pristine alpine lakes and perfectly shaped volcanoes.
At Parque Nacional Lauca, which is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, look out for flamingos, rheas (an ostrich-like bird)?
The unusual island of Chiloé has colorful and old wooden churches to explore.
Be sure to visit one of the world's most active volcanoes, Volcán Villarrica near Pucón. It is safer than it sounds and also one of the world's most monitored, so you should have plenty of warning of any imminent eruption.
Go fishing in the best spots -the Lake District and Patagonia.
White-water rafting down any number of the country's spectacular rapids is popular - you'll find specialist operators offering a number of trips
Visit the world-famous Portillo resort, which has hosted many national ski teams. Other ski slopes are at Farellones-El Colorado, La Parva and Valle Nevado.
From Chile's southernmost city, Punta Arenas voyage to the world's last undiscovered wilderness, Antarctica.
Visit the Atacama Desert with its broad, stark vistas of volcanoes, salt marshes and lakes and abandoned homes of the indigenous Aymara people.
Get a glimpse of galaxies at the Collowara Observatory near La, one of several powerful observatories situated in Chile, which is famed for its lack of light pollution and clear skies.
Witness giant icebergs from a glacier cruise, which follows a spectacular route through Chile's Inside Passage and passengers can disembark at various points en route, notably at Puerto Natales and on the Argentinean portion of Tierra del Fuego.
Re-trace the footsteps of the real-life Robinson Crusoe, Scotsman Alexander Selkirk who formed the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe, in the little known Juan Fernández Islands.
A visit to Chile will be incomplete without a trip to the Easter Island, a Chilean territory and one of the world's most remote inhabited islands. The famous, mysterious moai stone figures up to 9m (30ft) tall can be found on Easter Islands.
Food and Drink
Santiago has a wide range of options for eating out, from sushi and excellent vegetarian restaurants to hearty, good-value grills, but outside of Santiago, options tend to be limited for vegetarians.
Sampling some local delicacies might be a good idea. Try dishes like Empanada, a combination of meat, chicken or fish, with onions, eggs, raisins and olives inside a flour pastry, seafood, including clams, sole, sea bass and oysters, Cazuela de ave, a soup with rice, vegetables, chicken and herbs, Bife a lo pobre, a steak with french fries, onions and eggs,
Chile is famous for its wine, particularly for the Carmenère grape and wine made from it. Other popular drinks are Pisco, a powerful brandy distilled from grapes after wine pressing and Pisco sour, a potent but very tasty lemon-based cocktail that is popular throughout Chile. Try the popular Chilean beer brands Kuntsman, Cristal and Escudo.
Nightlife
While many restaurants and hotels offer entertainment, there are also a number of nightclubs, especially at Santiago, which gets lively at the weekends. Providencia and Nuñoa also have plenty of good bars but Lastarria, the area just to the west of Bellas Artes metro station is perhaps the most refined area to go out.
Shopping
Textiles such as colorful hand woven ponchos, vicuna rugs, alpaca jumpers and copper and silver work form the popular buys. Chile is especially famous for its lapis lazuli jewelry, but jade, amethyst, agate and onyx can all be purchased. Many boutique stores selling well crafted jewelry and craft are cropping up in Cerros Alegre and Concepcion in Valparaíso.
GETTING AROUND
Air
There are frequent services between main towns and the southern part of the country relies heavily on air links. Flights are mainly operated by LAN Express and Sky Airline as well as by a number of air taxi companies.
Water
From Puerto Montt there are various ferry operators that travel south. Additionally cargo boat services running from Valparaíso to Robinson Crusoe Island (part of the Juan Fernández Islands) occasionally have cabins available too.
Road
Chile has reasonably good roads, with the Pan American Highway threads right down most of the country from north to south. It is advisable to carry plenty of water, spare petrol and an additional spare tyre, while traveling to remoter areas.
Intercity buses are generally comfortable and reliable. There are more luxurious services running most of the length of the country.
Taxis mostly should have meters, but, if you can, find out roughly what the fare should be beforehand.
Self-drive cars are available at the airport and in major city centers from many car hire companies.
WHERE TO STAY
Santiago has several luxury hotel chains and there are also several fine boutique hotels. Advance bookings are essential in resort areas during the high season and the cost of accommodation in Santiago is higher than in the provinces.
There are plenty of campsites throughout Chile and other than these some locals will also happily allow visitors to set up camp in their garden or land upon polite request.
For the budget travelers there are several hostels throughout Chile and on Easter Island. Membership of the Association Chilena de Albergues Turísticos Juveniles is required but many of these hostels are extremely crowded and it is advisable to book in advance where possible.
Backpacker hostels, which usually offer friendly and cheap accommodation, are cropping up continually throughout the country. One can choose from bare basic ones to luxury hostels. Unique accommodations called Residenciales are a cheap and popular option, and often consist of a few rooms in the house of a local.
Cabanas or holiday chalets, some of which are self-catering, are found in coastal and several mountain resorts; these may range from luxurious to basic.
Beds or refugees (basic sheltered accommodation) are also available for a low price in the national parks.
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