Matthew+Ost

=**__ Chile __**=



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=__**Map of Chile**__=

=__**Geography and Climate**__=

The climate and geography of Chile are both very interesting, the climate in particular. The climate of the northern part of Chile is arid, the middle area is temperate, while the southern area is subarctic. Most people live in the middle area, because of the tolerable climate. The geography is also interesting. The Andes Mountains, on the eastern border, run through the northern part of Chile. The Atacama Desert, which is one of the driest deserts, is located in the northern part of Chile. There are swamps, lakes, forests, and of course, volcanoes. Chile happens to be one of the two countries that doesn’t touch Brazil. People think that Chile is smaller than it really is because of how long and skinny it is. In reality however, it has an area of 291,933 square miles. This is slightly larger than Texas, and almost twice the size of California. Most of the farming in Chile is done in the middle area because of the fertile soil. There are a lot of minerals in the northern, desert part of Chile. There is mostly copper, but there are also gold and lithium salts. Southern Chile is mostly made up of forests, but there is also some grazing space there too. Because of Chile’s geographical location, it gets a lot of earthquakes leading to tidal waves and volcanic eruptions. In 2009, a particularly bad eruption covered one hundred miles of land in ash, and caused the evacuation of an entire town. People call Chile the “Switzerland of South America” because of how beautiful the landscape is. Chile is located in the southern hemisphere, so their summer is between December and March.



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=__**Economy**__=

Chile has one of the most stable economies in South America. The residents of Chile have fairly good health care and education in order for them to have a decent life. Men’s salaries, however, are a lot larger than women’s. Chile’s government helps the poor by building permanent houses for those with lower income, and investing in poor schools. Chile’s economy is entirely dependant on copper, and it is famous for its copper production. More than half of their income is from the copper they exported. Chileans also export fresh fruit, fish, wood, mining, among other resources. The currency Chile uses is the Chilean Peso. One United States dollar is the equivalent of 514.70 pesos, as of December 12, 2011. The percentage of people below the poverty line is 11.5%, which is better than the United States, at 15.1%. The unemployment rate is 9.2%, a little higher than what it was in 2007, when it was averaging a 6.8% per month up until August. Chile’s GDP per capita is $15,400, which again is not the best, but it is a lot better than some countries, like Zimbabwe, which has a $500 GDP per capita. It is interesting to see how Chile can have the GDP that it does have despite its strong economy. This shows us that it is not the richest country, but it does reasonably well. Chile does not have a large foreign debt. Chile does, however, trade a lot with other countries in order to get the things they can’t produce themselves.



Source of Image: http://zigzaghotel.com.vn/files/galleries/photos/chilean%20food%20market%20(62).png

=__**Historical Figures**__=

There have been a few important historical figures in Chilean history. Two important ones are Pedro de Valdivia and Bernardo O’Higgins. Pedro de Valdivia was believed to be born in Spain, sometime in the year 1500. In an attempt to finish the quest that Diego de Almagro had started in 1536, he led his men from Peru, down to Chile, where he founded Chile’s capital city, Santiago, on February 12, 1541. He eventually became a governor of Chile. He discovered gold and silver in the southern section of Chile. Unfortunately, Pedro de Valdivia was killed in 1553 by the Mapuches, native people who were living in southern Chile at the time. He was killed in battle with most of his troops. Bernardo O'Higgins was just as influential on Chile's development as was Pedro de Valdivia. Bernardo O’Higgins was born in 1778. Aside from being the first president of Chile, he was also the Supreme Dictator at one time. O’Higgins became president when he and José de San Martín, a general from Argentina, lead their troops to victory against the Spanish on April 5, 1818, at the Maipo River. This victory gave Chile its independence. O’Higgins created the government, which is a Republic. He also created Chile’s navy. He resigned in 1823. Bernardo O’Higgins helped shape Chile and turn it into the country it is today. He died in 1842. Both of these men were very courageous in their own way. It is no easy task to build a country. Without their vital influence, Chile would be a very different place.



Source of Image: http://lh3.ggpht.com/-d2rkzy65In0/S7V6y4y-U-I/AAAAAAAAB4k/VkUFcgNeIKs/CIMG0401.JPG

=__**Religions, Holidays, & Festivals**__=

The religions of Chile are not as varied as the religions of the United States of America. The main religion in Chile is Christianity. 87% of the entire population are Christian. About 70% belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Chileans have been Roman Catholic since the 1500's. There is a strict control by the Roman Catholic Church. There are a lot of German Immigrants in Chile. Most of these immigrants practice Catholicism or Lutheranism. The Catholic Church also controls a lot of the schools. There are very few Jews in Chile. When Chileans celebrate religious holidays, they have parades and festivals. People in Chile celebrate a lot of the same holidays that we do in America, as well as their own. They celebrate Columbus Day, New Year’s Day, Christmas, Easter, among others. Most of the holidays that Chile celebrates are Christian holidays. They also celebrate their date of independence, or Fiestas Patrias, on September 18. When Chileans celebrate their independence, it normally involves a week long celebration with parades, dances, music, food, and drink. The day after is a holiday as well. It is Armed Forces Day, in which Chileans remember past victories of their military. There are a lot of parades to commemorate this day as well. Chileans celebrate certain holidays in a manner similar to the way we do. Take Christmas for example: Chileans decorate trees, hang stockings, and believe in Santa Claus, just like we do. The only differences are that they call Santa Claus “Viejito Pascuero,” and that their Christmas takes place during the summer.



Source of Image: http://worldgeopost07.wikispaces.com/file/view/Santiago_Cathedral.jpg/31770169/Santiago_Cathedral.jpg