 |
|
| |
|
||||
The Republic of Chile is a republic located on the southwestern coast of South America. It is a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It shares borders with Argentina to the east, Bolivia to the northeast and Peru to the north.
HistoryMain article: History of Chile About 10,000 years ago, migrating Indians settled in fertile valleys and along the coast of what is now Chile. The Incas briefly extended their empire into what is now northern Chile, but the area's remoteness prevented extensive settlement. The first Europeans to arrive in Chile were Diego de Almagro and his band of Spanish conquistadors in 1541, who came from Peru in 1535 seeking gold. The Spanish encountered hundreds of thousands of Indians from various cultures in the area that modern Chile now occupies. These cultures supported themselves principally through slash-and-burn agriculture and hunting. The conquest of Chile was carried out in 1550 by Pedro de Valdivia, one of Francisco Pizarro's lieutenants. Although the Spanish did not find the extensive gold and silver they sought, they recognized the agricultural potential of Chile's central valley, and Chile became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The drive for independence from Spain was precipitated by usurpation of the Spanish throne by Napoleon's brother Joseph. A national junta in the name of Ferdinand—heir to the deposed king—was formed on September 18, 1810. The junta proclaimed Chile an autonomous republic within the Spanish monarchy. A movement for total independence soon won a wide following. Spanish attempts to reimpose arbitrary rule during what was called the Reconquista led to a prolonged struggle. Intermittent warfare continued until 1817, when an army led by Bernardo O'Higgins, Chile's most renowned patriot, and José de San Martín, hero of Argentine independence, crossed the Andes into Chile and defeated the royalists. On February 12, 1818, Chile was proclaimed an independent republic under O'Higgins' leadership. The political revolt brought little social change, however, and 19th century Chilean society preserved the essence of the stratified colonial social structure, which was greatly influenced by family politics and the Roman Catholic Church. The system of presidential absolutism eventually predominated, but wealthy landowners continued to control Chile. Toward the end of the 19th century, the government in Santiago consolidated its position in the south by ruthlessly suppressing the Mapuche Indians. In 1881, it signed a treaty with Argentina confirming Chilean sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan. As a result of the War of the Pacific with Peru and Bolivia (1879-83), Chile expanded its territory northward by almost one-third and acquired valuable nitrate deposits, the exploitation of which led to an era of national affluence. Chile established a parliamentary style democracy in the late 19th century, but degenerated into a system protecting the interests of the ruling oligarchy. By the 1920s, the emerging middle and working classes were powerful enough to elect a reformist president, whose program was frustrated by a conservative congress. In the 1920s, Marxist groups with strong popular support arose. Continuing political and economic instability resulted with the rule of the quasidictatorial Gen. Carlos Ibáñez (1924-32). When constitutional rule was restored in 1932, a strong middle-class party, the Radicals, emerged. It became the key force in coalition governments for the next 20 years. During the period of Radical Party dominance (1932-52), the state increased its role in the economy. The 1964 presidential election of Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Montalva by an absolute majority initiated a period of major reform. Under the slogan "Revolution in Liberty," the Frei administration embarked on far-reaching social and economic programs, particularly in education, housing, and agrarian reform, including rural unionization of agricultural workers. By 1967, however, Frei encountered increasing opposition from leftists, who charged that his reforms were inadequate, and from conservatives, who found them excessive. At the end of his term, Frei had accomplished many noteworthy objectives, but he had not fully achieved his party's ambitious goals. In 1970, Senator Salvador Allende, a Marxist and member of Chile's Socialist Party, who headed the "Popular Unity" (UP) coalition of socialists, communists, radicals, and dissident Christian Democrats, won a plurality of votes in a three-way contest and was named President by the Chilean Congress. His program included the nationalization of most remaining private industries and banks, massive land expropriation, and collectivization. Allende's proposal also included the nationalization of U.S. interests in Chile's major copper mines. Elected with only 36% of the vote and by a plurality of only 36,000 votes, Allende never enjoyed majority support in the Chilean Congress or broad popular support. Domestic production declined; severe shortages of consumer goods, food, and manufactured products were widespread; and inflation reached 1,000% per annum. Mass demonstrations, recurring strikes, violence by both government supporters and opponents, and widespread rural unrest ensued in response to the general deterioration of the economy. By 1973, Chilean society had split into two hostile camps. A military coup overthrew Allende on September 11, 1973. As the armed forces bombarded the presidential palace, Allende reportedly committed suicide. A military government, led by General Augusto Pinochet, took over control of the country. The first years of the regime were marked by serious human rights violations. A new Constitution was approved by a plebiscite on September 11, 1980, and General Pinochet became President of the Republic for an 8-year term. In its later years, the regime gradually permitted greater freedom of assembly, speech, and association, to include trade union and political activity. In contrast to its authoritarian political rule, the military government pursued decidedly laissez-faire economic policies. During its 17 years in power, Chile moved away from economic statism toward a largely free market economy that fostered an increase in domestic and foreign private investment. In a plebiscite on October 5, 1988, General Pinochet was denied a second 8-year term as president. Chileans voted in elections to choose a new president and the majority of members of a two-chamber congress on December 14, 1989. Christian Democrat Patricio Aylwin, the candidate of a coalition of 16 political parties called the Concertación, received an absolute majority of votes. President Aylwin served from 1990 to 1994. In December 1993, Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle (son of a the previous President), leading the Concertación coalition, was elected President with an absolute majority of votes, for a 6-year term. President Frei's administration was inaugurated in March 1994. A presidential election was held on December 12, 1999, but none of the six candidates obtained a majority, which led to an unprecedented runoff election on January 16, 2000. Ricardo Lagos Escobar of the Socialist Party and the Party for Democracy led the Concertación coalition to a narrow victory, with 51.32% of the votes. He was sworn in March 11, 2000, for a 6-year term. PoliticsMain article: Politics of Chile The country's current constitution was adopted in 1981 during the military government led by Augusto Pinochet and increased the power of the president and institutionalized the participation of the commanders in chief of the armed forced. After Pinochet's defeat on the 1988 referendum, several amendments were made, decreasing the power of the president and reducing the influence of the armed forces. As of 2004, discussions about further reforms continue, but have a low priority. The Executive Branch is headed by the president of the republic. Since March 11, 2000, the President is Ricardo Lagos of the Socialist Party. The President also appoints the cabinet members. The President is chosen for a 6-year term and cannot be immediately re-elected (A recently passed constitutional reform has modified the presidential term in office to 4 years). The Judicial Branch has the Supreme court as its highest institution. For questions related to the constitution there is the Constitutional Court, which also has the right to veto laws that it considers to go against the constitution. The Legislative Branch is made up of 2 chambers.
For any law to be passed, it must pass through both chambers and be approved by the president of the republic (who has a limited veto right). The chambers and the president can all propose new laws, but there are certain matters which only the president can initiate. Although there are some known cases of corruption in Chile, there is no rampant abuse of power by public officials. It is considered the least corrupt place in Latin America - ranked during the last decade consistently among the top 30 more transparent countries of the world - and not coincidentally, one with a relatively strong rule of law. RegionsMain article: Regions of Chile Chile is divided into 13 regions, each of which is headed by an intendente. Every region is further divided into provinces with a Gobernador provincial. Finally each province is divided into various Comunas each with its own mayor. Intendentes and gobernadores are appointed by the president, mayors are elected by popular vote. Each region is designated by a name and a Roman numeral. Numbers are assigned from north to south. In general the Roman numeral is used, rather than the name. The only exception is the region where Santiago is situated, which is designated RM, that stands for Región Metropolitana, Metropolitan Region. GeographyMain article: Geography of Chile  A long and narrow coastal region on the west side of the Andes Mountains, Chile stretches over 4,630 km (2,880 miles) north to south, but only 430 km (265 mi) at its widest point east to west. The northern Atacama desert contains great mineral wealth, primarily copper and nitrates. The relatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources. This area also is the historical center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century, when it integrated the northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests and grazing lands and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border. Chile is the longest (N-S) country in the world (over 4,200km), and also claims a large section of Antarctica as part of its territory. Chile controls Easter Island, the easternmost island of Polynesia, which it incorporated to its territory in 1888, and Robinson Crusoe Island, some 400 km from the mainland, in the Juan Fernandez archipelago. EconomyMain article: Economy of Chile The economy is mostly driven by trade, which represents more than 65% of GDP. Its main export product still continues to be copper, followed by other mining and agribusiness products. However copper is not nearly as important (40% of total value exported) as it was 30 years ago (when it represented 70% of exports). Recently Chile has also started exporting products such as fine wines from various regions, salmon and wood pulp. Though the country is not as industrialized as developed countries, it is one of the most industrialized nations in Latin America. While the main industry of the northern part of Chile is mining related, the southern half has quite extensive agricultural, fish farming and forestry sectors. The central zone concentrates most of the services and industry. The two main ports, Valparaíso and San Antonio, are located at approximately 100 km from Santiago. Chile has a large service sector and has a modern and liberalized telecommunications infrastructure. Tourism is expanding rapidly, and foreign visitors spend more than US$1.3 billion yearly. Tourists are attracted to the rugged beauty of the southern woodlands, the emptiness of the northern desert plains and the skiing season in the Andes mountains (May to September). European tourists are specially attracted by the Patagonia. In the boom years of the 1990s, annual economic growth was in the 7 to 12% range. After the Asian financial crisis in 1997, economic growth slowed to a steady 3% per year, but more recently growth has recovered, achieving 5.7% in 2004, with 6% expected in 2005 as domestic demand finally begins to expand. Accumulated GDP growth in the period 1990-2003 was 120%. GDP in 2004 reached US$91 billion, with a per capita GDP of US$5,800 and a purchasing power parity GDP of slightly more US$10,000. Recently, Chile has signed Free Trade Agreements with many countries and trade blocks such as the European Union, EFTA, the USA, Canada, Mexico and South Korea and is currently negotiating FTAs with countries such as New Zealand, Singapore and Peru. During the APEC 2004 Summit held in Santiago this past 20 and 21 November, Chile has signed memoranda of understanding with the People's Republic of China and Japan to begin trade talks leading to Free Trade Agreements. DemographicsMain article: Demographics of Chile About 85% of Chile's population live in urban centers, with 40% living in Greater Santiago. The population in 2004 was 15.8 million, with a growth rate of 1.4%. Life expectancy at birth is 76 years, with under five infant mortality at 12 per thousand in 2002 (World Development Report 2005). Most citizens are of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry in varying amounts. Many of the Spanish immigrants came from the Basque ethnicity, while a lesser but significant portion came from Andalusia. A small, yet influential number of Irish and English immigrants arrived in Chile during the colonial period. Government-sponsored immigration from Germany began in 1848; the southern provinces of Valdivia, Llanquihue, and Osorno now show the German cultural influence. Other significant immigrant groups include Italian, Croatian, French, and Middle Eastern origins. About 800,000 Native Americans, mostly of Mapuche origin, reside in the south-central area. Aymaras and Diaguitas groups can be found mainly in Chile’s northern desert valleys, while Rapanui live in Easter Island. CultureMain article: Culture of Chile This section has no data added yet, but you can help Wikipedia by adding additional info. See also: Music of Chile National symbols The national flower is the copihue (Lapageria rosea, Chilean bellflower), which grows in the woods of southern Chile.  The coat of arms depicts the two national animals: the condor (Vultur gryphus, a very large bird that lives in the mountains) and the huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus, an endangered white tail deer). It also has the legend Por la razón o la fuerza (By reason or by force).
Miscellaneous topics
International rankings
External links
af:Chile bg:Чили ca:Xile cy:Chile da:Chile de:Chile et:Tšiili es:Chile eo:Ĉilio fr:Chili ia:Chile it:Cile he:צ'ילה la:Cilia lv:Čīle lt:Čilė nds:Chile nl:Chili ja:チリ no:Chile pl:Chile pt:Chile ru:Чили sa:चिले simple:Chile sl:Čile fi:Chile sv:Chile tokipona:ma Sile uk:Чилі zh:智利 zh-min-nan:Chile |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 WordIQ.com - Privacy Policy
::
Terms of Use
:: Contact Us
:: About Us This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chile". |