Everything you need to know about Chile: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more
Chile: Beautiful Andean Country with Rich History
Chile with its Capital at Santiago is home to many famous cities such as Arica, Concepcion, Puerto Montt, and important Chilean port city of Valparaiso, which is also an important cultural centre. Chile has a rich past that dates back to the Incan civilization in the north and also Spanish conquest that was finally ended in 1818 war. Chile also has large reserves of Copper that is exported worldwide from the famous Chilean city of Chuquicamata.
Chile also has faced less number of military dictatorships the most brutal being that of Augusto Pinochet, which began in 1973 and lasted until 1988. In 2006 Michelle Bachelet became the first woman president of this coastal country through which most part of the Andes Mountains runs through.
Chile Factual Information:
Climatically the northern Atacama region is dry and hot, the south showcases Alpine scenery while the rest of Chile has a cool temperate climate. The climatic diversity of Chile is further visible from the fact that there are at least seven sub-climatic types in Chile.
Culture and Economy of Chile:
Chilean culture reflects Andean, Mapuche and Spanish cultural traits. Northern Chile was largely dominated by Andean culture, particularly of the Inca’s, while middle and southern Chile reflects Mapuche cultures. Later in the 16th Century Spanish conquerors colonised Chile and Spanish cultural elements are reflected in every aspect in the lives of Chileans, the most prominent being their language, which is Spanish. Remants of German tradition can be found out in the southern Chilean cities of Valdivia and Puerto Montt.
Chileans are a music loving people and popular folk music includes the Mapuche while popular dances are the Cueca and the Tonda. Football or Soccer is the most popular Chilean sport and Chile even hosted the 1962 Football World Cup and has reached four finals of the Copa America Football tournament. However, Chile has achieved the highest success in tennis and famous Chilean tennis names include Marcelo Rios, Fernando Gonzalez among others.
Chile has a robust economy on account of which it enjoys a high per capita income of $ 12,700. The country has also signed number of Free Trade Agreements (FTA’s) with several countries like India and China that has boosted its exports that principally comprise of Copper among others. The main export markets for Chile are the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Travel to Chile:
Chile is a popular tourist destination for an estimated 2 million tourists who visit Chile annually from not only the adjoining countries but, the world over. Chile offers many contrasting and exciting attractions like the San Pedro de Atacama in the north, which is admired for its ancient Incaic architectire. Then there is the scenic Chungara Lake in Putre apart from the Parinacota and Pomerape volcanoes that tower above 6,000 m each. The Laguna San Rafael National park, the Chiloe Archipelago and Patagonia are the major southern tourist attractions.
The Top Tourist Attractions in Chile include:
Los Angeles, June 18 (IANS/EFE) Jennifer Lopez is the latest addition to the cast of "The 33", a film based on the story of survival of the miners trapped for more than two months below ground after a mine collapse in northern Chile, The Hollywood Reporter said Monday.
Shanghai, June 18 (IANS/EFE) Ibero-American films will not compete in the Shanghai International Film Festival, or SIFF, but will be represented with 18 films in Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Basque and Catalan, among the more than 300 selected for event.
New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) The government Thursday finally paved way for the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to bid to host the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup as the union cabinet cleared the proposal for submitting guarantees to the world body FIFA.
La Paz, June 13 (IANS) Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) has confirmed that the 2014 Dakar Rally will travel through Bolivia.
Washington, June 12 (ANI): The autonomous, solar-powered Zoe, which became the first robot to map microbial life during a 2005 field expedition in Chile's Atacama Desert, is returning to the world's driest desert this month on a NASA astrobiology mission to search for subsurface life.
Puerto Ordaz, June 12 (IANS) Uruguay have restored their 2014 World Cup qualification hopes after a first-half strike from Edinson Cavani gave them a 1-0 away victory over Venezuela.
Islamabad, June 11 (ANI): Israel has exported security equipment to Pakistan over the past five years, according to British Government report.
Belo Horizonte, June 9 (IANS) The prospect of confronting a team boasting of football stars like Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta is enough to strike fear into any opposing coach. Unless his name is Eddy Etaeta.
Porto Alegre, June 9 (IANS) Striker Fred admits Brazil must win Sunday night's international friendly against France to restore their confidence ahead of the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Buenos Aires, June 8 (IANS) Sergio Aguero had two goals ruled out for offside as Argentina were held to a goalless draw by Colombia in a fiery World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Monumental.
Bogota, June 8 (IANS/EFE) E-commerce sales in Colombia amounted to nearly $2 billion last year, according to a report released Friday.
Bogota, June 7 (IANS/EFE) Chile has the highest 2-megabyte broadband Internet penetration rate for landline and mobile connections in Latin America, a report released in Bogota said.
Rio de Janeiro, June 6 (IANS) Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta has described a 0-7 defeat to Chile's under-20s as a "spanking" and hopes it will serve as an impetus to his team's Confederations Cup football campaign.
London, June 3 (ANI): It is now being claimed by prosecutors that one of South America's most celebrated poets, Pablo Neruda, who died in 1973 at the age of 69, may have been murdered on the orders of Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet.
Berlin, May 31 (IANS/EFE) An international team of astronomers is challenging the prevalent theory on how the lives of most stars end, the European Southern Observatory, or ESO, said.
On May 23, Colombia´s President Juan Manuel Santos took a leaf out of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping´s book. Host to the Pacific Alliance (Alianza del Pacifico) in the salubrious city of Cali, he inaugurated the VII summit with the words: ''The Asian Pacific is the new global pole for development and Latin America wants to be a partner. He spoke on behalf of his three partners in the Alliance - the Presidents of Mexico, Chile and Peru.
Havana, May 27 (IANS/EFE) The Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas announced here Sunday that they have reached an agreement on the issue of land, the first point on the agenda created for the peace talks they are pursuing in the Cuban capital.
Washington, May 24 (ANI): A technology company from Chile has claimed to print world's first physical object using the power of the mind.
Los Angeles, May 22 (IANS/EFE) Spanish actor Antonio Banderas will star in "The 33", a film based on the story of survival of the miners buried for more than two months in a mine in northern Chile, Variety reported.
New York, May 21 (ANI): Antonio Banderas will star in 'The 33' as 'Super Mario' Sepulveda, who was the second miner to be rescued and the survivors' spokesperson following their 69 days trap in 2010.
Los Angeles, May 18 (IANS/EFE) Under the baton of Placido Domingo, acclaimed Chilean writer Isabel Allende's short story "Una Venganza" ("An Act of Vengeance") emerges from the printed page as the opera "Dulce Rosa", a production with a Latin heart and Greek tragedy in its soul that premiered Friday in Los Angeles.
Bogota, May 17 (IANS) Independiente Santa Fe defeated Gremio 1-0 and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores.
Rio de Janeiro, May 16 (IANS) Ronaldinho has refused to concede his 2014 World Cup dream and vowed to convince coach Luiz Felipe Scolari he is worthy of a recall to Brazil's national team.
Rio de Janeiro, May 15 (IANS) Former FIFA World Player of the Year winners Ronaldinho and Kaka have been left out of Brazil's squad for next month's Confederations Cup.
Havana, May 15 (IANS) Boxers from 15 countries and regions, including Cuba, will compete in the 43rd Giraldo Cordova Cardin International Boxing Tournament to be held here June 4-9 at Ramon Fonst Arena.
Rio de Janeiro, May 14 (IANS) England's Howard Webb has been named by FIFA as one of 10 referees who will officiate at the Confederations Cup in Brazil next month.
Rio de Janeiro, May 14 (IANS) Reigning FIFA Club World Cup champions Corinthians are set to sign Chile international midfielder Claudio Maldonado.
Rome, May 11 (IANS) Arturo Vidal has been named Juventus' Player of the Year, the Italian football club announced.
Vancouver, May 10 (IANS) Canada's overseas investment and foreign direct investment in the country both grew by more than 5 percent last year, Statistics Canada said.
Santiago, May 10 (IANS/EFE) More than 500,000 dead people are still on the voting rolls in Chile, according to a member of the country's election board.
Washington, May 9 (ANI): A bizarre 12-centimetre-long skeleton found in a pouch in a ghost town in the Atacama Desert of Chile ten years ago has confused scientists and UFO enthusiasts.
Washington, May 3 (ANI): Using the Danish Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (DFOSC) on the Danish 1.54-meter telescope at European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile, astronomers have spotted an anarchic region of star formation inside an interstellar cloud.
Santiago, May 3 (IANS/EFE) The initial tests performed on the exhumed remains of Nobel literature laureate Pablo Neruda show that the Chilean poet was suffering from advanced prostate cancer, officials associated with the process told EFE.
Berlin, May 3 (IANS/EFE) The European Southern Observatory, or ESO, released an image Thursday that shows the intense activity that occurs inside an interstellar cloud when stars form.
Moscow, May 3 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Ukraine has been designated the world's top violator of intellectual property rights in a new report by US Trade Representative (USTR). India and Pakistan are also in the list.
Rio de Janeiro, April 27 (IANS) South American football's governing body, Conmebol, has launched an investigation into a wild brawl after a Copa Libertadores match between Chile's Huachipato and Brazil's Gremio earlier this month.
Rio de Janeiro, April 26 (IANS) Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has said he understands the reaction of fans who booed his team in the final minutes of Wednesday's 2-2 friendly draw with Chile.
Belo Horizonte (Brazil), April 25 (IANS) Brazil were held to a 2-2 draw by Chile at the Mineirao World Cup stadium here Wednesday.
New York, Apr 24 (ANI): The mummified remains of what looks like a 6-inch space alien has turned 'Sirius' into the most eagerly awaited documentary among UFO enthusiasts.
Rio de Janeiro, April 23 (IANS) Former FIFA World Player of the Year winners Ronaldinho and Kaka are unlikely to play together at the 2014 World Cup, according to Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.
New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) Air India's six grounded Boeing 787 Dreamliners may again take to the skies and operate to new destinations as early as May 15 after technical changes approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the plane's battery system are carried out, an official said.
Rio de Janeiro, April 20 (IANS) Internacional centre-back Rodrigo Moledo has been given his first Brazil call-up by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for next week's football friendly against Chile.
Rio de Janeiro, April 19 (IANS) Former Brazil international forward Rafael Sobis struck a second-half winner as Fluminense advanced to the Copa Libertadores knockout phase with a 1-0 victory over Caracas.
La Paz, April 17 (IANS) Bolivian President Evo Morales, along with the directors of the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), organisers of the Dakar Rally, presented details of the 2014 off-road race that will traverse southwest Bolivia Jan 12-13.
Miami, April 17 (IANS/EFE) Singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz will be joined by Cuban trumpet and piano player Arturo Sandoval at his May 1 concert in the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, the Spanish artist announced via Twitter.
Washington, April 17 (ANI): Two international teams of astronomers studying long-lasting gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have concluded that they likely arose from the catastrophic death of supergiant stars hundreds of times larger than the Sun.
Rio de Janeiro, April 17 (IANS) Two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho has been named in Brazil's squad for next week's friendly against Chile.
Rome, April 16 (IANS) Juventus have taken a firmer grip over their 29th Serie A title, beating Lazio 2-0, with Arturo Vidal scoring both goals.
Sao Paulo, April 16 (IANS) Santos have made a bid to sign Chile international striker Humberto Suazo, the Brazilian club has revealed.
Casablanca (Morocco), April 15 (IANS) Tommy Robredo of Spain beat Kevin Anderson of South Africa 7-6 (8-6), 4-6 and 6-3 to win the Grand Prix Hassan II tennis tournament here.
Casablanca, April 14 (IANS) Spanish tennis player Tommy Robredo and Kevin Anderson of South Africa will clash in the Grand Prix Hassan II final.
Washington, Apr 13 (ANI): Investigators from the United States will analyse bone remains of Chilean Nobel literature laureate Pablo Neruda to resolve a four-decade mystery about his death.
Madrid, April 13 (IANS/EFE) The big winner in Spain's Goya film awards, "Blancanieves", has been nominated for Mexico's Ariel prize in the category of best Ibero-American picture.
Sao Paulo, April 12 (IANS) Midfielder Charles struck a second-half winner as 10-man Palmeiras secured a place in the Copa Libertadores knockout phase with a 1-0 victory over Libertad.
La Paz (Bolivia), April 11 (IANS) Bolivian President Evo Morales has issued a decree declaring the upcoming 2014 Dakar Rally, whose competitors will race through parts of the country, a "national priority".
Santiago, April 11 (IANS/EFE) Spanish chef Joan Roca said Wednesday in Chile that he had managed to ride out Spain's economic crisis by emphasizing excellence and creativity.
Santiago, April 11 (IANS/EFE) Citing unresolved environmental issues, a Chilean court ordered a complete halt to work on the Chile portion of Barrick Gold's Pascua Lama mining project, which extends across the Andes into neighbouring Argentina.
Rio de Janeiro, April 9 (IANS) Striker Fred will miss Fluminense's final two Copa Libertadores group stage matches with an injured right knee.
Isla Negra (Chile), April 9 (IANS/EFE) The remains of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904-73) were exhumed here Monday to determine if he died of cancer or was murdered by agents of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship.
London, Apr. 9 (ANI): The remains of poet Pablo Neruda, who died in 1973, have been exhumed by forensic experts in Chile.
Santiago, April 8 (IANS/EFE) US rock band Pearl Jam kept the soul of grunge alive at the 3rd edition of Chile's Lollapalooza music festival.
Santa Cruz (Bolivia), April 7 (IANS) Santos striker Neymar and former AC Milan midfielder Ronaldinho starred in Brazil's 4-0 demolition of Bolivia in a football friendly international here.
Qingdao (China), April 5 (IANS) After nearly 138 days at sea, Chinese sailor Guo Chuan successfully returned to his starting point here Friday morning to become the first man to complete non-stop solo circumnavigation of the world.
La Paz, April 5 (IANS) Three-time champions Sao Paulo face an uphill battle to progress to the Copa Libertadores knockout phase after a 1-2 defeat to The Strongest.
Vancouver, April 3 (IANS) A relaxed yet confident Italian team is seeking to advance to its first Davis Cup semi-final since 1998 but it isn't looking past upstart Canada, which it will meet in a quarter-final tie starting Friday in the British Columbia city.
Mexico City, April 3 (IANS/EFE) Mexican restaurant operator Alsea said it acquired the remaining 18 percent of Cafe Sirena, a company created in 2002 to operate Starbucks coffee shops in Mexico, from US-based Starbucks Coffee International, giving it sole ownership of the Starbucks coffee business in Mexico.
New York, April 1 (ANI): Residents in Chile's Atacama Desert, the driest desert on Earth, are turning to giant 'fog catchers' as a possible long-term means of revitalizing the arid area.
Santiago, March 29 (IANS) The US embassy in Chile has apologized for a tweet indicating it was bored or irritated by former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet's bid to run in the November presidential elections.
La Paz (Bolivia), March 28 (IANS) Bolivian President Evo Morales and Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) will officially launch the 2014 Dakar Rally April 16 here to highlight the tourist potential the South American country offers, Bolivia's presidency minister Juan Ramon Quintana said.
Montevideo (Uruguay), March 28 (IANS) Uruguay's Luis Suarez could be handed an extended international ban after appearing to punch Chile defender Gonzalo Jara during a World Cup qualifier in Santiago.
Sydney, March 28 (IANS/EFE) Scientists have managed to capture up to 26,545 blue whale songs in the Antarctic in a study for which they used - for the first time - new acoustical detection and tracking techniques to locate and observe them.
La Paz, March 27 (IANS) Argentina missed the chance to all but secure their place at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bolivia here.
La Paz, March 26 (IANS) Lionel Messi said Argentina will be wary of the threat posed by the altitude of La Paz when they meet Bolivia here in Tuesday's football World Cup qualifier for 2014 Brazil.
Santiago, March 25 (IANS) Chile have recalled Esteban Paredes in the squad for Tuesday's World Cup football qualifier against Uruguay after Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez was ruled out due to suspension.
Buenos Aires, March 23 (IANS) Lionel Messi set up two goals and scored another as Argentina defeated Venezuela 3-0 to extend their lead at the top of the South American World Cup qualifying standings.
Paris, March 21 (IANS) The 2014 Dakar Rally will begin Jan 5 in Rosario, the Argentinean city where football star Lionel Messi was born, and will end Jan 18 in Valparaiso, Chile, organisers announced here.
Santiago (Chile), March 21 (IANS) Chile will continue to form part of the Dakar Rally route next January, marking the second time the country serves as a backdrop for the legendary off-road endurance race, Deputy Sports Minister Gabriel Ruiz Tagle has said.
Washington, Mar 16 (ANI): Distant, dust-filled galaxies were bursting with newborn stars much earlier in cosmic history than previously thought, a new study suggests.
United Nations, March 16 (IANS) UN Women's chief Michelle Bachelet has decided to step down, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement issued here.
Montevideo (Uruguay), March 15 (IANS) Uruguay's national football team coach Oscar Tabarez unveiled the squad of 26 players that will take part in qualification matches against Paraguay and Chile in the lead up to the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
Santiago, March 14 (IANS) Chilean President Sebastian Pinera presided over the launch of the world's largest astronomical observatory in the remote Atacama Desert of the northern Chilean Andes.
Washington, March 14 (ANI): Scientists across the UK are proudly celebrating the monumental achievement of the completion of ALMA - the most complex ground-based telescope in existence.
Washington, March 14 (ANI): New observations by a Caltech-led team have discovered dozens of starburst galaxies that were churning out stars when the universe was just a billion years old.
London, Mar. 13 (ANI): The remains of Chilean Nobel prize winning poet Pablo Neruda will be exhumed on April 8 to determine if he died of cancer or was poisoned.
Washington, March 8 (ANI): A comet will appear in the west at sunset, from around the 8th to the 13th of March 2013, and will be visible to the naked eye up to the end of the month, scientists have said.
Asuncion (Paraguay), March 8 (IANS/EFE) British music icon Sir Elton John served up an intimate performance for his first-ever concert in Paraguay.
London, March 7 (ANI): Astronomers have improved the measurement of the distance to our nearest neighboring galaxy and, in the process, refine an astronomical calculation that helps measure the expansion of the universe.
Sao Paulo, March 6 (IANS/EFE) Secret documents dating from Brazil's 1964-85 military government reveal that the junta gave loans amounting to $115 million to the regime of Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet, Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said Tuesday.
Caracas, March 6 (IANS) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lost his battle with cancer Tuesday at the age of 58. He died in a military hospital in Caracas, Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced on national radio and television.
London, Mar. 5 (ANI): The body of Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda will be exhumed after his former driver claimed that Augusto Pinochet's regime was behind his death.
Vina del Mar (Chile), March 4 (IANS/EFE) The skill and elegance of acclaimed artists like Elton John and Miguel Bose was on display at the 54th Vina del Mar International Song Festival.
Santiago (Chile), Mar 1 (IANS) Chile's deputy sports minister Gabriel Ruiz-Tagle said he was confident his country will form part of the 2014 Dakar Rally circuit, dismissing rumours a possible route change could shut the country out.
Vina del Mar (Chile), Ma Mar 1 (IANS/EFE) The Puerto Rican reggaeton duo of Wisin & Yandel denied here that their lyrics are offensive to women, an assessment made by the Cuban government in barring the group's songs from being played on radio and television.
Acapulco (Mexico), Feb 28 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Second seed Rafael Nadal shot into the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 tournament here Thursday, eliminating Argentine qualifier Martin Alund.
Los Angeles, Feb 25 (IANS) Austrian drama "Amour" bagged the prestigious Oscar award for the best foreign language film at the gala ceremony held here Sunday night.
Bordeaux (France), Feb 24 (IANS) Sip velvety, delicious chardonnay from New Zealand or South Africa or, better still, France to decide which one you like best - all under one roof. As global wine consumption goes up, more than 48,000 visitors are expected to taste new products and catch up with the latest trends at VINEXPO, the festival of wines and spirits from across the world.
Sao Paulo, Feb 18 (IANS) Former world No.1 Rafael Nadal clinched his first tournament victory since returning from a seven-month layoff by defeating Argentina's David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Brazil Open and hoped that this would be a start of "something good".
Berlin, Feb 18 (IANS/EFE) Chilean actress Paulina Garcia, who won the best actress award at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival for her role in director Sebastian Lelio's film "Gloria", said that like the main character in the movie, she was a mature woman with no hang-ups.
Sao Paulo, Feb 17 (IANS) Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal advanced to the final of the Brazil Open with a 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1 victory over Argentina's Martin Alund.
Rio De Janeiro, Feb 13 (IANS) South American football's governing body Conmebol has ordered Brazilian club Gremio to temporarily close a section of its stadium following last month's accident that left five people in hospital.
