Chile

Chile (Spainish pronunciation: [ˈtʃile], offeecially the Republic o Chile (Spainish: República de Chile), is a kintra in Sooth Americae occupyin a lang, narrae coastal strip atween the Andes muntains tae the east an the Pacific Ocean tae the wast. It borders Peru tae the north, Bolivie tae the northeast, Argentinae tae the east, an the Drake Passage in the far sooth. Wi Ecuador, it is ane o twa kintras in Sooth Americae that dinna hae mairches wi Brazil. The Paceefic coastline o Chile is 6,435 kilometres (4000 mi). Chilean territory includes the Paceefic islands o Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas an Easter Island. Chile claims aboot 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) o Antarcticae an aa, awtho aw claims are suspendit unner the Antarctic Treaty. The shape o Chile is a distinctive ribbon o land 4,300 kilometres (2,700 mi) lang an on average 175 kilometres (109 mi) wide. Its climate varies, rangin frae the warld's driest desert – the Atacama – in the north, throu a Mediterranean climate in the centre, tae a rainy temperate climate in the sooth. The northren desert contains great mineral walth, principally copper. The relatively sma central airt dominates in terms o population an agricultural resoorces, an is the cultural an poleetical centre frae that Chile stendit oot in the late 19t century, whan it incorporatit its northren an soothren regions. Soothren Chile is rich in forests an grazin lands an features a string o volcanoes an lakes. The soothren coast is a labyrinth o fjords, inlets, canals, twistin peninsulas, an islands. Prior tae arrival o the Spaingie in the 16t century, northren Chile wis unner Inca rule while the indigenous Mapuche inhabitit central an soothren Chile. Chile declared its unthirldom frae Spain on 12 Februar 1818. In the War o the Paceefic (1879–83), Chile defeatit Peru an Bolivie an wan its current northren territory. It wis no till the 1880s that the Mapuche wur completely subjugatit. Awtho relatively free o the coups an arbitrary govrenments that blichtit Sooth Americae, Chile endured the 17-year lang military dictatorship (1973–1990) o Augusto Pinochet that left mair nor 3,000 fowk deid or amissin. The day, Chile is ane o Sooth Americae's maist stable an prosperous naitions an a recognised middle pouer. It leads Laitin American naitions in human development, competitiveness, income per caipita, globalization, economic freedom, an law perception o corruption. It ranks heich regionally in freedom o the press an democratic development an aa. Housomeivver, it haes a heich economic inequality, as measured bi the Gini index. In Mey 2010 Chile became the first Sooth American kintra tae join the OECD. Chile is a foondin member o baith the Unitit Naitions an the Union o Sooth American Naitions. Demografie Chileans are mainly o Spaingie an Ither European fowks strynd, wi sma but significant traces o 19t an 20t century European-oreegin immigrants. Post-unthirldom immigrants hae niver comprised mair nor twa percent o the tot population, tho thair stryndants are nou hunders o thoosans, includin Chileans o German, Breetish, French, Croatie, Italian or Palestinian strynd. Etymologie Thare are various theories aboot the oreegin o the wird Chile. Accordin tae a theory bi 17t century Spainyie chronicler Diego de Rosales, the Incas o Peru cried the glen o the Aconcagua "Chili" bi corruption o the name o a Picunche tribal chief ("cacique") cried Tili, who ruled the airt at the time o the Incan conquest in the 15t century. Anither theory pynts tae the similarity o the glen o the Aconcagua wi that o the Casma glen in Peru, whaur thare wis a toun an glen named Chili. Ither theories say Chile mey derive its name frae the native Mapuche wird chilli, that micht mean "whaur the laund ends", "the deepest pint o the Yird," or frae the Quechua chin, "cold", or the Aymara tchili, meanin "snaw". Anither oreegin attributit tae chilli is the onomatopoeic cheele-cheele—the Mapuche imitation o the warble o a bird locally kent as trile, afore common in the central glens. The Spaingie conquistadors heard aboot this name frae the Incas, an the few survivors o Diego de Almagro's first Spaingie expedeetion sooth frae Peru in 1535-36 cried thairsels the "men o Chilli." Ultimately, Almagro is creditit wi the universalization o the name Chile, efter namin the Mapocho glen as sic. References Freemit airtins Offeecial Chile wabsteid Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine Govrenment o Chile Archived 2011-01-13 at the Wayback Machine Wikimedia Atlas o Chile