by Janette Peel

Created on: April 26, 2010

Chile’s unusual shape has given it a hugely varied climate.  From the driest desert in the north to a snow-prone alpine climate in the south, Chile is a reminder of the extreme beauty and power of nature.

Chile is filled with geysers, mountains, beaches, forests and volcanoes that will keep the most adventurous person occupied.  Travelers are drawn to Chile because of its spectacular Pacific coastline and Andean highlands and because of the variety of activities that are on offer.  Due to its variance in climate you can go skiing or climbing on the heights or white-water rafting in the valleys.

Almost half of Chile’s 16 million population live in or around the capital city Santiago, which has one of South America’s most dynamic economies.

For many centuries Chile’s intellectuals have been education in Paris and this has influenced the country’s architecture, art and music.  Chile boasts at least two Nobel-prize winning poets:  Gabriela Mistral, and more famously, Pablo Neruda.  The country’s cinema was among the most experimental in Latin America until Pinochet’s military coup of 1973, but folk music has been an especially important outlet for the country’s oppressed. 

Spanish is Chile’s official language, but it has its own particular way of speaking the language and there are still a handful of native languages spoken around the country including Aymara, Mapuche and notably Rapa Nui, which is spoken on Chile’s beautiful Easter Island.

Easter Island is an offshore territory of Chile and is almost 3700km away from South America, making it one of the most isolated places in the world.  It is unlike any other South Pacific island with its rocky sea caves and grasslands.  It has no rivers or streams at all and the only hilly areas are its volcanoes.

Only about 2000 people live on the island, and nearly all of them live in the town of Hanga Roa.  The island is well known for its famous statues which are made from volcanic rock and line its borders.  Called moai, there are an estimated 800-1000 statues over the entire island

Chilean cuisine is protein rich and features a variety of ingredients including beef, seafood, fresh fruit and lots of vegetables.  The main dishes in Chile are:   empanadas - these are large turnover snacks which are filled with a selection of tasty meat;  lomo a lo pobre - is a dish consisting of a huge chunk

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