|
 HOME
ABOUT ICTHUS
NEWS BECOME A PARTNER
COUNTRIES
PHOTO GALLERIES
LINKS
ESPAÑOL
|
|
Chile |
 |
|
National
Icthus Director or Coordinator: |
Carlos & Tatiana
Pilguinao |
Courtesy of the
University of Texas Libraries, The University of
Texas at Austin. |
|
Capital: |
Santiago |
|
Population: |
15,823,957 (June
2004) |
|
Population
under age 15: |
27% |
|
Ethnic Groups: |
white and
white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2% |
|
National Products: |
grapes, apples,
pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, copper, other
minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and
steel |
|
GDP (Per capita
gross domestic product): |
$4,523
|
|
Currency: |
Chilean peso (CLP)
|
|
Life Expectancy at Birth: |
76 years |
|
Infant Mortality: |
9 deaths/1,000
live births |
|
Protestant / Evangelical Churches: |
21,000 |
|
Icthus Web:
|
Click Here |
History of Country: Several
Indian tribes lived in Chile long before the early 1400s, when
the Incas of Peru took control of the northern and central part
of the land. The Incas however, were unable to defeat the fierce Mapuche Indians
in the South. The Spaniards came to Chile in the 1541 in search
of gold and founded the city of Santiago. Many of the Spanish men
married Indian women. Their children were called Mestizos. The war between the Mapuches and the
Spaniards was so fierce that Chile was called the "Cemetery of
the Spaniards." Spain ruled Chile for almost 300 years. Chile
won its independence in 1818 under Bernardo O'Higgins and Jose
de San Martin. In 1839, Chile expanded its territory by winning
a war with Peru; and in 1879, it fought Peru and Boliva in the
War of the Pacific, winning Antofagasta.
Britain and Germany were dominant in Chile's economy in the
early 1900s, and then U.S. became the most important foreign power. By the 1960s, American corporations controlled the
telephone, railway, and electric companies, as well as many
banks. In 1970, Dr. Salvador Allende was elected president of
Chile. While in office, he nationalized the mines, industries,
and public services. In 1973, there was a violent overthrow of
the government; 30,000 people and President Allende were killed.
The coup was sponsored by the U.S. CIA and led by General
Augusto Pinochet, who appointed himself president of Chile and
ruled the country from 1973 to 1990. Under his
dictatorship, many people were imprisoned, and more than 2,500 people disappeared, never
to be seen
again. Pinochet is expected to face trial for human rights
violations. Since 1990, Chile has regained democracy and the
country is continuously being reformed.
|
