History UsefulNotes / Chile

The '''Republic of Chile''' (Spanish: ''República de Chile'') is a very long and thin country in South America. Despite what some people think, Chile is not named after the Chili pepper, nor vice-versa. Local tradition says the name "Chile" comes from the Aymara word "End of the World" or from the Quechua word "Cold place", both being very suitable definitions for the former Inca province.

Statistically, it has one of the best life qualities and economic developments in Latin America[[note]]While It's not very well known, Chile was in fact the most affected country during the Great Depression, in the WHOLE world.[[/note]], but also has a big problem with economic inequality and poverty. Chile stretches from the Atacama desert to the Patagonia stopping just before Antarctica (although they do have a claim over a portion of the Antarctica, to the point they have one of the few Civilian settlements there, Villa las Estrellas), and also has two islands in the Pacific, the Juan Fernandez Island and [[LandmarkOfLore Easter Island]] or UsefulNotes/RapaNui, which is well known for the big rock heads called Moai that surround the island. Ironically not too many people outside of Chile know the island is part of the country.

Before the Spanish arrival, Chile was part of the Qullasuyu, the southern part of the Inca Empire. The central part corresponds to Chili and Atakama, native states allied with the Incaic administration, while the southern parts were controlled by the Mapuche tribes, who are known for successfully repelling both Inca and Spanish invaders. The southernmost area, namely the Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, were populated by the Patagones or Tehuelches, a group of different tribes that were mistaken for giants by the Europeans.

When the Spaniards came to America in the 15th century, Chile was the last place they visited, because to reach it, they needed to cross the Atacama Desert, [[DeathWorld which is fifty times drier than the Death Valley]], and for a long time Chile was known as a [[CrapsackWorld Spaniard's grave]]. When they arrived, a war lasting over 300 years began between the Spaniards and the natives, particularly the Mapuche tribes. During this period, Chile became a Spanish colony, obtaining independence in 1818 after a war of independence against the royalists led by people like Bernardo O' Higgins, [[MasterOfDisguise Manuel]] [[GuileHero Rodriguez]] and [[ColonelBadass Jose Miguel]] Carrera. [[BrokenBase Do NOT ask who was the best of them.]]

In 1973, the military under General UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet (supported by the [[MoralMyopia United States]]) performed a coup d'etat against the Socialist government of Salvador Allende. Pinochet's [[BananaRepublic dictatorship]] lasted until 1989, when a national plebiscite was held to determine whether or not the military government should remain in power. If you happen to be among Chileans, [[BrokenBase it is usually not wise bring up the topic]]. '''Seriously.''' It may sound weird but Pinochet still has many [[BlackShirt supporters]], so be careful what you say.

Currently the country is led by Gabriel Boric, a left-wing candidate of Croatian origins who beat right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast in the 2021 general elections. Taking charge at just 35 years old, he is the youngest president in the country's history and second-youngest current head of state in the world.

Chile, like the rest of Latin America, is a multiethnic country, but unlike other countries, the government doesn't actually register race among its citizens. This is in part due to the ruling elite being composed by white people, who were focused on bringing European immigrants to replace or mix with the native population, in a process known as ''Blanqueamiento.'' Other reason has to do with the loss of cultural identity among the native Picunches, who eventually embraced the new independentist movement and became today's Chileans. This created a culturally homogenous population that followed Hispanic traditions regardless of race. The only exceptions were the Reche tribes in the south of Bio Bio who became the Mapuche nation, a number of Atacameño people that rejected the new Chilean state and kept practicing some of their traditions, and the Tehuelche with some huilliche and lafkenche tribes who were too far away to actually be incorporated to the new Chilean state.

The native language of Chile, Chilidugú, became extinct during the colonial era, so Spanish is the current de facto language. It's spoken fast, eliminating the s' and d's from some words. It mixes a lot of words from Chilidugun and Quechua, and it varies between upper and low classes. Other European languages like English, Portuguese, and French are spoken to some degree by people around the country, with fluency varying from person to person. Surviving Chilean languages are the Mapudungun languages and Southern Aymara, while many other native tongues were lost thanks to cultural assimilation and the extermination of local tribes.

In sports, Chile is remembered for Marcelo Ríos, who is the first Latin American tennis player to reach the Nº1 position in the ATP singles rankings despite never winning a Grand Slam tournament. Currently he's retired, but players like Fernando González (doubles gold medal and singles bronze medal in Athens, then silver in Beijing) and Nicolás Massu (singles and doubles gold in Athens (first man to do so!)) are still active. Chile also held the 1962 FIFA World Cup, and attained their highest position ever in the competition by winning third place. Currently soccer is by far the most popular sport.

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Francisco_(television_host) Don Francisco]], known for hosting [[http://www.univision.com/content/channel.jhtml?chid=6&schid=6761 Sabado Gigante]] and "Don Francisco Presenta", was born in Talca, Chile. The show started on Canal 13 on 1962. Two decades later, the program moved to Miami, Florida where Univision (formerly SIN) began producing it, and started to be recorded by Univision in Miami on 1986. He also host a famous Telethon in Chile, which is done almost once per year since 1978, for obtain funds for The Telethon Fundation, which administrate several institutions for aid Children with developmental disabilities. It's seen as days of National Union, and the Criminal Rate of those days equals Christmas and New Year Eve. If you are Latin American and have seen a Telethon in your country, is very probably that Telethon [[FollowTheLeader is based on the Chilean one]].

Their flag is very similar to UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}' flag, though they adopted its flag in 1817, way earlier than Texas. It has also been said to be simmilar to the flag of the United States as a whole, only in .ZIP form.

The Republic of Chile ('''Spanish:''' ''República de Chile'') is a very long and thin country in South America. Despite what some people think, Chile is not named after the Chili pepper, nor vice-versa. Local tradition says the name "Chile" comes from the Aymara word "End of the World" or from the Quechua word "Cold place", both being very suitable definitions for the former Inca province.

When the Spaniards came to America in the 15th century, Chile was the last place they visited, because to reach it, they needed to cross the Atacama Desert, [[DeaderThanDead which is fifty times drier than the Death Valley]], and for a long time Chile was known as a [[CrapsackWorld Spaniard's grave]]. When they arrived, a war lasting over 300 years began between the Spaniards and the natives, particularly the Mapuche tribes. During this period, Chile became a Spanish colony, obtaining independence in 1818 after a war of independence against the royalists led by people like Bernardo O' Higgins, [[MasterOfDisguise Manuel]] [[GuileHero Rodriguez]] and [[ColonelBadass Jose Miguel]] Carrera. [[BrokenBase Do NOT ask who was the best of them.]]

When the Spaniards came to America in the 15th century, Chile was the last place they visited, because to reach it, they needed to cross the Atacama Desert, [[DeaderThanDead which is fifty times drier than the Death Valley]], and for a long time Chile was known as a [[CrapsackWorld Spaniard´s grave]]. When they arrived, a war lasting over 300 years began between the Spaniards and the natives, particularly the Mapuche tribes. During this period, Chile became a Spanish colony, obtaining independence in 1818 after a war of independence against the royalists led by people like Bernardo O' Higgins, [[MasterOfDisguise Manuel]] [[GuileHero Rodriguez]] and [[ColonelBadass Jose Miguel]] Carrera. Do NOT ask who was the best of them.

->''"UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} foresaw the need. He acquired the necessary clay through totally legitimate ways. This clay is named "The End of the World" in local languages. But in frozen wastelands far to the South, Spain did not find what he sought. Instead, Spain found the future colony's fate in desert and sea. He knew that his son would one day achieve his destiny - not today, but in hundreds of years he will know why he was created:''

-->''To landlock UsefulNotes/{{Bolivia}}."''

Statistically, it has one of the best life qualities and economic developments in Latin America[[note]]While It's not very well known, Chile was in fact the most affected country during the Great Depression, in the WHOLE world.[[/note]], but also has a big problem with economic inequality and poverty. Chile stretches from the Atacama desert to the Patagonia stopping just before Antarctica (although they do have a claim over a portion of the Antarctica, to the point they have one of the few Civilian settlements there, Villa las Estrellas), and also has two islands in the Pacific, the Juan Fernandez Island and [[LandmarkOfLore Easter Island]] or Rapa Nui, which is well known for the [[EenieMeenieMinyMoai big rock heads called Moai that surround the island]]. Ironically not too many people outside of Chile know the island is part of the country.

Currently the country is being led by Sebastián Piñera, an independent backed by a group of centre-right and right-wing parties. In Fall 2019, a coordinated group of fare evasion campaign by secondary school students meant to protest fare hikes in Santiago spiralled into a series of riots that expanded into other Chilean cities, with many demanding Piñera's resignation, and human rights observers criticizing the government's harsh response. The protests continued into March, leading the National Congress to call for a referendum on whether or not Chile should adopt a new constitution. The referendum was originally set for April 26, 2020, but was postponed to October 25 due to [[UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic COVID-19]].

** President of the Senate: Yasna Provoste
** President of the Chamber of Deputies: Diego Paulsen

** President: Sebastián Piñera; Gabriel Boric takes office on March 11, 2022

* '''Highest point:''' Ojos del Salado (6,893 m/22,615 ft) (11th)

* '''Country calling code:''' 56

** President: Sebastián Piñera

* '''Country calling code:''' 56
* '''Highest point:''' Huascarán (6768 m/22,205 ft) (33rd)
* '''Lowest point:''' Bayóvar Depression (−34 m/−112 ft) (16th)

* '''Country calling code:''' 56

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' CL

->''"UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} foresaw the need. He acquired the necessary clay through [[BlatantLies totally legitimate ways.]] This clay is named "The End of the World" in local languages. But in frozen wastelands far to the South, Spain did not find what he sought. Instead, Spain found the future colony's fate in desert and sea. He knew that his son would one day achieve his destiny - not today, but in hundreds of years he will know why he was created:''

Their flag is very similar to UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}' flag, though they adopted his flag in 1817, way earlier than Texas. It has also been said to be simmilar to the flag of the United States as a whole, only in .ZIP form.

Oh, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking their flag is very similar to Texas' flag]]. But in their defense, Chile adopted his flag in 1817, [[OlderThanTheyThink way earlier]] than UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}. It has also been said to be simmilar to the flag of the United States as a whole, only in .ZIP form.

Oh, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking their flag is very similar to Texas' flag]]. But in their defense, Chile adopted his flag in 1817, [[OlderThanTheyThink way earlier]] than UsefulNotes/{{Texas}}.

The Republic of Chile is a very long and thin country in South America. Despite what some people think, Chile is not named after the Chili pepper, nor vice-versa. Local tradition says the name "Chile" comes from the Aymara word "End of the World" or from the Quechua word "Cold place", both being very suitable definitions for the former Inca province.

* '''Area:''' 756,096.3 sq km (291,930.4 sq mi) (37th)

* '''Area:''' 756,096.3 km (291,930.4 sq mi) (37th)

----

Oh, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking their flag is very similar to Texas' flag]]. But in their defense, Chile adopted his flag in 1817, [[OlderThanTheyThink way earlier]] than [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas]].

Chile, like the rest of Latin America, is a multiethnic country, but unlike other countries, the government doesn't actually register race among its citizens. This is in part due to the ruling elite being composed by white people, who were focused on bringing European immigrants to replace or mix with the native population, in a process known as ''Blanqueamiento.'' Other reason has to do with the loss of cultural identity among the native Picunches, who eventually embraced the new independentist movement and became today's Chileans. This created a culturally homogenous population that followed Hispanic traditions regardless of race. The only exceptions were the Reche tribes in the south of Bio Bio who became the Mapuche nation, a number of Atacameño people that rejected the new Chilean state and kept practicing some of their traditions, and the Tehuelche tribes who were too far away to actually be incorporated to the new Chilean state.

The native language of Chile, Chilidugú, became extinct during the colonial era, so Spanish is the current de facto language. It's spoken fast, eliminating the s' and d's from words. It mixes a lot of words from Chilidugun and Quechua, and it varies between upper and low classes. Other European languages like English, Portuguese, and French are spoken to some degree by people around the country, with fluency varying from person to person. Surviving Chilean languages are the Mapudungun languages and Southern Aymara, while many other native tongues were lost thanks to cultural assimilation and the extermination of local tribes.

Currently the country is being led by Michelle Bachelet from the Socialist Party. Her government is known for being very divisive among Chileans, some considering it only populist rhetoric, the best government Chile ever had, or in the case of the right-wing parties, [[DirtyCommunists another Soviet-communist government that puts the country at danger.]] Ironically, most of the neoliberal policies were actually reinforced during her coalition's government.

Chile is a very long and thin country in South America. Despite what some people think, Chile is not named after the Chili pepper, nor vice-versa. Local tradition says the name "Chile" comes from the Aymara word "End of the World" or from the Quechua word "Cold place", both being very suitable definitions for the former Inca province.

When the Spaniards came to America in the 15th century, Chile was the last place they visited, because to reach it, they needed to cross the Atacama Desert, [[DeaderThanDead which is fifty times drier than the Death Valley]], and for a long time Chile was known as a [[CrapsackWorld Spaniard´s grave]]. When they arrived, a war lasting over 300 years began between the Spaniards and the natives, particularly the Mapuche tribes. During this period, Chile became a Spanish colony, obtaining independence in 1818 after a war of independence against the royalists led by people like Bernardo O' Higgins, [[MasterOfDisguise Manuel]] [[GuileHero Rodriguez]] and [[ColonelBadass Jose Miguel]] Carrera. [[InternetBackdraft Do NOT ask who was the best of them]].

When the Spaniards came to America in the 15th century, Chile was the last place they visited, because to reach it, they needed to cross the Atacama Desert, [[DeaderThanDead which is fifty times drier than the Death Valley]], and for a long time Chile was known as a [[CrapsackWorld Spaniard´s grave]]. When they arrived, a war lasting over 300 years began between the Spaniards and the natives, particularly the Mapuche tribes. During this period, Chile became a Spanish colony, obtaining independence in 1818 after a war of independence against the royalists led by people like [[HeroicBastard Bernardo O' Higgins]], [[MasterOfDisguise Manuel]] [[GuileHero Rodriguez]] and [[ColonelBadass Jose Miguel]] Carrera. [[InternetBackdraft Do NOT ask who was the best of them]].

Bernardo O'Higgins led the country until he was forced to abdicate in 1823. Then came 5 years of what is currently called "Ensayos Constitucionales" ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Constitutional Attempts/Try-outs]]), which includes governments that lasted six, five, and even three days. After that, and guided by Diego Portales Palazuelos, Chile's governance stabilized. Between 1879-1883, it fought and defeated Peru and Bolivia in the WarofthePacific, conquering the Litoral from UsefulNotes/{{Bolivia}} and landlocking that country (to Bolivia's continuing dismay/fury). This period of (relative) stability would last until the civil war of 1891, which gave power to the Parliament instead, until the arrival of Arturo Alessandri -- the following governments would go for the presidential route, but in ''many'' different ways...

In media, the country has produced Cote de Pablo, best known for her role in ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' as Ziva David; and the ACE Team, with their debut videogame VideoGame/ZenoClash.