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The land of Pablo Neruda and Isabella Allende, Chile is a total experience – nature and adventure rolled into one. There is so much packed into this string bean of a country - the urban boulevards and the bustle of Santiago, the Andean foothills and the Atacama Desert, the Pacific coastline and the National Parks, the guanaco and the glaciers. The Europeans have populated this country with vigour but the warm and resilient people of Chile have stuck to their traditions, especially in the Andean foothills.

Enjoy a trek and go spotting the amazing guanaco in its National Parks, indulge in the bright blue of the Pacific, the intense brown of the Andes and Atacama and the pearly whites of the glaciers in Southern Chile.

Chile has the distinction of being the longest country in the world as also the narrowest - it is 4300 km long and just 175 km wide.

Chileans use a lot of slang - for instance “Chao pescado!” And no it does’ nt mean you go looking for fish –the person is simply saying goodbye or see you later.

Historically Speaking

The Spanish ruled Chile from the 1500s to the early 1800s. In 1817, Bernado Otiggius along with Argentine general Joze de Som Martin, won over the Spanish and Otiggius became the new nation’s first leader. He saw the drafting of 2 constitutions for Chile. Later due to lack of support, he was forced to resign in 1823. In the 1830s a businessman called Diego Portales Palazuelas controlled the government through his role as the President’s advisor. In 1836, Chile declared war over Peru and Bolivia – defeated them and managed to win large territories rich with copper & nitrates. This wealth helped Chile grow richer. In the following years there were few disputes between Stalinists, Trotskyites and other radicals though the democratic left dominated politics. In 1970 Salvador Allende came to power but in 1973, General Augusto Pinochet led a military coup that defeated him and left about 25,000 dead. Pinochet ruled Chile for 16 years unleashing a reign of terror. In late 1993 Chileans chose Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle to lead them. The frontrunner in the 1999 presidential elections was socialist Ricardo Lagos. Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria, the first woman to be elected to this post is the current president.

Habitat

Chile can be divided into 3 land regions. They are (from north to south) - The Northern desert - The Central Valley and - The Archipelago

The Northern Desert stretches 1,600 km south from the Peruvian border to the Aconcagua River, most of Valparaiso. The Atacama Desert covers the northern half of the region. The Central Valley extends about 1000 km from the Aconcagua River to the city of Puento Moutt. Rivers flow through this valley as they run down the Andes Mountains. The Archipelago extends about 1,600 km from Puerto Moutt to the southern most tip of South America. It is a wild region – riddled by winds, steep rocky slopes, dense forest, lakes and glaciers. The region’s western edge is broken into thousands of islands chilled by the stormy sea. Southern Chile (Patagonia) is striking with its lakes and glacial landscapes. The large numbers of National Parks protect and support the distinctive flora and fauna of Chile. The endangered vicuna, the Patagonian guanaco, flamingoes, otters, pelicans, penguins and sea lions support each other in the food chain. The tall, dark and mysterious cypress trees, rare alerce trees (similar to the tall redwoods of California) and the monkey-puzzle trees are among the plant life to be found in Chile. However, deforestation outside the protected areas is taking its toll