Project studying abroad: CHILE PROFILE

About Chile

General Facts.

- Name of the country: Chile

- Location: Southwestern of South America

- Capital: Santiago de Chile

- Population: 17, 46 million of people

- Currency: Chilean Peso

- Official language: Spanish

Chile is located in the southwestern corner of South America specifically along the western coast of the southern cone of South America, between the highest segment of the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. Its shape is unique: it is one of the world's longest countries but simultaneously one of the narrowest.

We can say that in general is a country busy but can also be crowded, quiet or busy depending on the cities because there are cities bigger than other and therefore with more inhabitants than in other cities.

This country possesses great diversity of landscapes from mountains, lakes, valleys, volcanoes, beaches, forests, rivers, glaciers to deserts and for this reason has practically all kinds of weather existing around the planet among them the desert climate, semiarid, Mediterranean, tropical, temperate oceanic, subpolar oceanic, Alpine, weather ice, among others as well as all seasons autumn, summer, winter and spring.

Moreover, in Chile the type of government is democratic, presidential unitary state or presidential republic.

The country is very famous for having great diversity of natural landscapes which are the main tourist attractions, the natural aspect is definitely the main reason for travel to Chile. In the Atacama Desert area are also interesting examples of pre-Columbian cultures who left petroglyphs, rock carvings, mummies and objects. In Chile there are also places like ski resorts (Portillo, Valle Nevado and Termas de Chillán) and spas will center of the country among them Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. Mountains, lakes, glaciers and volcanoes are the references in the southern Chilean Patagonia, and finally Chilean islands among them mysterious Easter Island. Chile has 5 sites declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The food in this country is essentially based in sea products, the main ingredients in the kitchen traditional Chilean are foods such as corn, potatoes and tomatoes, among others, also wheat and pork, chicken, beef and lamb. The traditional dishes of the Chilean kitchen are anticuchos, roast, the Carbonada, the Cazuela, the Charquicán, the Curanto, pine pies, the Humitas and corn pie and wine which is very outstanding.

The main music heard in Chile is the folkloric and there are many singers known in this country as Alberto Plaza, the group Kudai, the group La Ley, among others. Some sports practiced by people are mainly tennis, artistic gymnastics, hockey and motorcycling. In this country celebrate many festivities among them Festival of San Bernardo, carnival Atacameño, Festival del Roto chileno and celebrate with food, music, dancing, costumes, taking to the streets like a caravan. In the arts is highlighted in aspects such as literature, painting, crafts more than all representing their identities and traditions of its indigenous peoples. The predominant religion in this country is Roman Catholicism.

And finally some important facts of their history were: in November 1520, Ferdinand Magellan was the first European explorer to recognize the current Chilean territory when crossing the strait that now bears his name, the first board of governors was held on 18 September 1810 with a period called Patria Vieja, before this country was known as Chili in the indigenous tradition, Chilean Independence was declared on February 12 of 1818 under the government of Bernardo O'Higgins, the September 11 of 1973 it happened a military coup during the government of Salvador Allende, among other facts.