North: Land and sky melt together in an endless line towards a horizon colored in sepia tones. A sky full of stars and land speckled with minerals create impressive landscapes that together with the region’s flora and fauna form the one-of-a-kind Chilean Altiplano (high plains). It is truly a place in which all five senses can appreciate sensations that most have never experienced before.
South: Water, greenery, and wilderness. This is what characterizes the south of Chile, a region that offers a multitude of ways to enjoy nature. Here lakes, volcanoes and rivers come together to create a magnificent landscape and a dreamlike playground for outdoor activities.
Easter Island: Wild, exotic, mystical and ancient. This is Easter Island, which today displays its culture through regional flavors, breathtaking landscapes and colorful traditions. An idyllic island, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it is replete with volcanoes, turquoise water, and archeological sites, all of which await visitors and offer a wide range of activities.
Patagonia: Awesome, breathtaking, and solemnly beautiful. This is southern Patagonia in Chile, a region of limitless beauty abundant in native forest, unique fauna and thousand-year-old ice fields. There are many ways to see this region and fall under its spell. Enjoy local cuisine, comfortable services, and remoteness sensations that provide an unforgettable experience.
Snow: Snow blankets the Andes in the winter, with big storms and high altitudes that provide excellent conditions for skiing and snowboarding. Chile has modern ski resorts that offer challenging terrain, sweeping views, comfortable lodges, hotels, and even hot springs, all of which make this “white” sport a memorable experience.
Hot Springs and Spas: Geothermal activity in Chile produces steaming water that rises up from the earth, forming pools of mineral water that are ideal for bathing any time of the year. Throughout the country there are deluxe spas and natural hot springs installations that leave the body relaxed and revitalized, and their location in forests, on hills, and near lakes and rivers provide visitors with beautiful scenery.
Wine Route: Chilean wines are internationally recognized for their outstanding quality and reasonable price. Wine growing areas are concentrated in the country’s Central Valley, and a growing wine tourism infrastructure means that visitors now can count on high-quality hotels, gourmet restaurants, hearty country cuisine, and of course wine tasting facilities that give a taste of the best the country has to offer.
History
When the first Spanish arrived, Quechua tribes inhabited the northern region, and Araucanian tribes inhabited the central region and the northern part of the southern region. The Incas were in control of the northern area and part of central Chile. Warlike Araucanian tribes, who held the Incas back, dominated much of the rest of the country. The first Spanish settlements were established in the mid-sixteenth century: Santiago in 1541 and Concepcion in 1550. Spanish settlers, mainly from Andalucía, were attracted to central Chile because of the pleasant climate and fertile soil. The settlers had to face repeated assaults from the Araucanians. The on-and-off war with the Indian aborigines continued into the second half of the nineteenth century.
By the mid-seventeenth century, the population of the Spanish settlements and their surroundings numbered approximately 100,000. This population grew to about 500,000 by mid-eighteenth century and to one million by 1830. Those with European blood were concentrated in central Chile, between Santiago and Concepción; few settled in the northern and southern regions. This pattern of dispersion began to change only in the second half of the nineteenth century, with the rapid growth of mining activities and the immigration of non-Iberians Europeans.
One-third of Chile is covered by the towering ranges of the Andes. In the north is the driest place on Earth, the Atacama Desert, and in the center is a 700-mile-long (1,127 km) thickly populated valley with most of Chile's arable land.
At the southern tip of Chile's mainland is Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the world, and beyond that lies the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego, an island divided between Chile and Chile.
The southernmost point of South America is Cape Horn, a 1,390-foot (424-m) rock on Horn Island in the Wollaston group, which belongs to Chile.
Under Spanish colonial rule, northern and central Chile was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The south remained under the control of the Araucanians almost until the nineteenth century. Independence was first declared in 1810. O'Higgins became Chile's first president. In 2010 we will be celebrating 200 years of independence.