A General Overview Chile

Table of Contents

Page 3. Introduction

Page 4-5. Fast Facts

Page 6. Suggested Reading

Page 7. Geography

Page 8. Climate

Page 9. Early History

Page 10 . Only in Chile

Page 11-14 . Primary Attractions Chile Introduction

Chile is truly one of the most remarkable places on Earth.. A land of extremes and superlatives, this sliver of a country on the western edge of – 4,300 kilometers (2666 mi) long, but only 177 kilometers (110 mi) wide – is home to both the world’s driest desert and rainiest place. From snow-capped volcanoes and icy fjords to sunny beaches, fertile vineyards and underwater caves, almost every type of scenery is available here.

Choosing just a few of Chile’s attractions can be difficult, but once travelers pinpoint their top options, they are seldom disappointed. In each of Chile’s main geographic zones – the North’s Desert & Altiplano, the Central Valley & , the South’s Rivers, Lakes & Volcanoes, Patagonia & Antarctica, and Chile’s Islands – its friendly people, top notch accommodations and dining, and wealth of recreational opportunities, make Chile a must-see destination.

Chile appeals to a truly diverse range of travelers. Adventure seekers come to Chile to explore its high mountain peaks, desolate northern landscapes and glacier-filled bays. Esoteric tours featuring fascinating history, archaeological ruins and superior astronomical viewing sites attract geo-tourists from far and wide. The country’s reputation for fine wines and delicious cuisine, welcoming atmosphere and splendid array of natural and cultural attractions means there’s something for virtually everyone to enjoy.

Chile’s seasons are opposite to those of North America. A couple of months after the ski season ends in North America, Chile’s world class ski areas are open for business. During the Northern Hemisphere’s cold and dark winter months, Chile’s beaches are warm and inviting. Chile Fast Facts

• Official Name : Republic of Chile • Capital : Santiago • Population : 16,284,741 (July 2007 estimate). About one third of Chile’s residents live in greater Santiago. This means vast tracts of scarcely touched wilderness and plenty of solitude for those seeking a true escapist experience. • Area : 756,945 sq. km. (302,778 sq. mi.) • Ethnic Make-up : Predominantly mestizos and Europeans, with a notable Amerindian minority. The main groups are the Mapuche of the south (numbering around 300,000) and the Aymara in the north (around 40,000). • Language : Spanish. In the Lake District, many Mapuches speak Mapudungun, and in the north, Aymara is spoken by some indigenous groups. • Religion : Predominantly Christian (Roman Catholic, Protestant); Mapuches celebrate their own shamanic spirituality and perform sacred fertility rites within the community. • Agricultural Products : Wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, fruit, beef, poultry, wool, fish, timber. • Primary Industries : Copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles. • Voltage Requirements : 220 volts. Electrical sockets have two openings for tubular pins, not flat prongs, so you’ll need a plug adapter. • Time Difference : From the end of October to late March, Chile observes Daylight Savings Time and is three hours behind GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). The country is four hours behind GMT the rest of the year. • Business Hours : Banks are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm, and are closed on Saturday and Sunday. • Currency : Chilean Peso; bank notes are for 500; 1,000; 2,000; 5,000; 10,000 and 20,000 • pesos. It is often difficult to change the latter two, especially in small villages. • Money Exchange : Available at any established “Casa de Cambio” at market driven exchange rates. Avoid black market exchange rates. The current U.S. dollar exchange rate (Fall 2007) is 514 pesos to one USD. Chile Fast Facts

• Tipping : Customary in Chilean restaurants at a rate of 10%. Hotel tipping is discretionary, and tipping cab drivers is uncommon. • Credit Cards : All major credit cards are widely accepted. Travelers’ checks are least widely accepted and fetch the lowest exchange rates. The simplest and most efficient way to carry and change money is with a debit or ATM card. ATM machines normally give better rates than banks or money changers, and charge no commission. Only ATMs in larger cities will be compatible with international debit systems like Plus or Cirrus. • Vaccinations : International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever is required if arriving from an infected area within 5 days. No other vaccination is required to enter Chile. Emergencies : For a police emergency call 133, or to request an ambulance, dial 131. Police officers wear olive green uniforms. • Internet : No matter where you are in Chile, chances are there is an Internet station, either in a cafe or at local telephone centers, Telefonica or Entel. Most hotels have their own Internet service. • Drinking Age : Legal drinking age is 18. Alcohol is sold daily except during elections. • Safety : Santiago is probably the safest major city in South America. Serious violent crime is not unheard of, but is uncommon. A visitor’s principal safety concern will be pickpockets. • Entry Requirements U.S. or Canadian Passport must be valid for 3 months beyond intended stay. Must have tickets and documents for return or onward travel. No visa required for stay of up to three months (90-day extension possible). Passengers arriving by plane are charged a reciprocity fee of US$100 for Americans – or US$132 for Canadians – upon landing, payable in U.S. currency or by credit card. This one-time charge is good for the duration of your passport. When entering Chile (via cruise, vehicle or plane) and crossing customs, visitors need to fill out a tourist card that allows them to stay for 90 days. This tourist card must be shown to customs when leaving the country as well,so be sure not to lose it. Hotels waive Chile’s 18% sales tax (applicable to room charges) when the guest shows this card and pays with U.S. dollars. On flights leaving Chile, there is an airport tax of US$18 or its equivalent in Chilean Pesos. On domestic flights, the airport tax is included in the airline ticket. Suggested Books & Guides

• Chilean Scrapbook , Stephen Clissold • My Native Land , Augustin Edwards • Chile: A Geographic Extravanganza , Benjamin Subercaseaux • Chile, Including , Wayne Bernhardson – Moon Handbooks • Chile & Easter Island , Carolyn Hubbard, Brigitte Barta & Jeff Davis – Lonely Planet Publications • Chile Handbook , Tobey Green – Footprint Handbooks • Chile Experience Travel Guide , Josh Howell – Turiscom publishing • Travels in a Thin Country , Sara Weller – Abacus/ Modern Library • In Patagonia , Bruce Chatwin • Chile and Argentina: The Bradt Trekking Guide , Tim Burford – Bradt Travel Guides • Desert Memories , Ariel Dorfman – National Geographic • Chasing Che , Patrick Symmes – Robinson/ Vintage Books • The Motorcycle Diaries , Che Guevara – • Fourth Estate/Verso Books • Voyage of the Beagle , Charles Darwin – Penguin/ Wordsworth Editions Ltd • A History of Chile, 1801-1994 , Simon Collier and William Sater – Cambridge UP • News from the End of the Earth: A Portrait of Chile, John Hickman – Hurst & Co./St Martin’s Press • My Invented Country – A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile , Isabel Allende – Harper Collins • Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Dispair , Pablo Neruda – Jonathan Cape/Penguin • Memoirs , Pablo Neruda – Penguin • Curfew , Jose Donoso – Picador/Grove Atlantic • The Name of a Bullfighter , Luis Sepúlveda – Allison & Busby Ltd • The Selected Poetry of Vicente Huidobro , Vicente Huidobro – W.W. Norton & Co./New Directions • Selected Poems , Gabriela Mistral – Johns Hopkins UP Geography

• Chile offers a kaleidoscope of panoramas and settings. Surprises in this overawing, varied and pure geography, range from the Atacama Desert – the world’s driest – in the north to the fertile farmland of the central valley , and the lakes, forests and volcanoes of the south to the glaciers of Patagonia and Antarctica . Towering above all this and running the entire length of Chile is the long, serrated spine of the , dotted with colossal peaks and smoldering volcanoes.

• Chile is a long, narrow country stretching 4,265 km (2666 mi) north to south, but averaging only 177 km (110 mi) wide. The country occupies more than half of the western coast of South America and borders Peru on the north, and Argentina and Bolivia to the east. The Andes Mountains run the entire length of Chile. At 756,950 square kilometers (292,240 square miles),

• Chile is the world’s 38th-largest country. It is comparable in size to Turkey, and is about twice the size of Norway. Climate

Chile’s climate varies widely from subtropical in the north, through the most arid desert in the world, the Atacama Desert, then a fertile valley in the center, to a cold and damp south, originally covered by forest. Because Chile lies south of the equator, the seasons are opposite to those in North America. January and February are the hottest months, July and August the coldest. For North Americans, this means visitors can ski in summer and go to the beach in winter. Chile can be visited year round, but certain destinations are best visited while their temperatures are mildest. When thinking of Chile’s seasons, imagine the Pacific Coast of North America in reverse. Arid northern Chile resembles Baja California, has a Mediterranean climate like the state of California, and is like the Pacific Northwest of Oregon, Washington and southern British Columbia and the Alaskan Panhandle.

• Santiago has a Mediterranean climate with distinctive seasons. Santiago and central Chile are best in Chile’s spring (September – November) when conditions contribute to the blossoming green color of the local vegetation. Other prime times to visit are in summer (December and January) or during the fall harvest (February into April). During autumn (March – May), the temperature decreases gradually. In the winter, mornings are cold, plummeting to temperatures as low as 28º F; average temperatures in winter rarely exceed 60ºF. The rainy season begins in April and reaches its peak level during June and July. The season goes through a gradual decline until its end in November. The average annual rainfall in Santiago is 384 mm (14.9 in).

• The north can be visited any time of year, but if venturing into the Altiplano be aware of the “invierno Altiplano” (Dec-Feb) as there can be heavy, sporadic rainfall.

• Popular natural attractions like Parque Nacional del Paine in southern Chile and the lakes region can be visited year round, but the weather is best in the late spring and summer seasons between October and March when most of Chile is dry. During this time temperatures can reach highs around 32°C/90°F, while the nights are cool.

• May through August is the wettest season from Santiago south. Temperatures are lower, as well.

• August through October is the best time to visit Easter Island. June and July are the rainiest months, and December through February the busiest tourist months. Early History

Chile’s earliest known archaeological remains date from some 10-13,000 years ago, near the end of the long series of ice ages which allowed for human population of the Americas. Findings from this era – such as Monte Verde, near Puerto Montt, one of the earliest confirmed sites of human habitation on the South American continent – paint a vague picture of bands of nomadic hunters of mastadons, horses and other mammals.

Though most of Chile has probably been inhabited since the Paleolithic era, Northern Chile’s extreme aridity has preserved hundred of sites from the past 10,000 years. The northern desert’s preservative properties allow Modern archaeologists to study the Chinchorro culture, a group of coastal hunter-gatherers who inhabited the Azapa Valley, near Arica. A sand-preserved mummy was discovered here.

During the next 6000 years, distinct niches began to develop on the coast, in the interior valley, desert oases, and the Altiplano. Findings from this era reveal a diversification in fishing techniques and implements, the first hints of llama domestication, and a lifestyle that grew steadily more sedentary. By 2000 BC, the first domesticated plants began to appear in northern Chile, and cultural and economic trade with the tribes of southern Peru and northwestern Argentina brought new agricultural techniques, new textile designs, ceramics and basketwork.

Beginning in the 3rd century AD, the Tiwanaku Empire of Lago Titcaca began to work great cultural transformations in Northern Chile. Metallurgy, advanced agricultural techniques, and a more hierarchical social organization were Tiwanaku’s most noteworthy contributions. Near 1000 AD, Tiwanaku’s power waned, and regional kingdoms sprung up across the north. These briefly independent regional kingdoms fell under Inca rule during the great expansion of 1470. The by the Spanish began in earnest in 1540. Only in Chile

• Only in Chile can you stand at “el fin del mundo ,” the Southernmost community on Earth. • Only in Chile can you come face-to-face with a wall of turquoise ice at the world’s only advancing glacier. • Only in Chile can you walk among a million penguins guarding their nests. • Only in Chile can you gaze at herds of guanacos while Andean condors soar above. • Only in Chile can you visit the world’s most unusual collection of ancient relics – 397 mysterious giant statues carved from volcanic rock at the Rapa Nui National Park, also a UNESCO World Heritage site. • Only in Chile can you visit the UNESCO World Heritage site, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, representing a distinctive communal pampinos culture. • Only in Chile can you visit the homes of Nobel prize winner Pablo Neruda. • Only in Chile can you visit Chiloé’s churches, a UNESCO World Heritage site representing a fusion of European Jesuit culture with local native peoples. Only in Chile can you enjoy the UNESCO World Heritage site of Valparaíso, with its historical sites, natural beauty and unique architecture. • Only in Chile can you visit the Sewell Mining Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is an outstanding example of the company mining towns that were built in Chile’s remote areas in the early 20th century. • Only in Chile can you enjoy a bottle of world-class wine at the price of a gourmet coffee beverage. • Only in Chile can you ski some of the most challenging slopes in the world while viewing the ocean. • Only in Chile can you trek through rugged landscapes to see the world’s most southerly cliff paintings. • Only in Chile , can you surf the world’s longest coastline. With only a small population of dedicated surfers. • Only in Chile can you climb to the summit of snow-clad volcanic cones that stretch to 20,000 feet within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve at Parque Nacional Lauca. Principal Attractions

Chile’s diversity is its greatest asset. The country offers opportunities for eco-tourists, skiing enthusiasts and wine lovers, as well as a myriad of other activities.

Historic Cultures Modern Chile is a mosaic of ancient native cultures and European colonial settlement. Clients can see this varied cultural history in the Inca and pre- Inca artifacts on display at San Pedro de Atacama’s acclaimed museum, the enormous moias of Easter Island, and the 19th century German architecture of the Lake Region.

They can also learn more about Chile’s pre-Hispanic cultures by touring the northern Altiplano, home of the Aymara pastoralists, the Atacameños around San Pedro de Atacama, and the Mapuche homeland around Temuca and Chiloé Island.

In addition, five historical sites in Chile have met UNESCO’s cultural selection criteria and are designated as World Heritage Sites based on their outstanding universal value. The five sites are the Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso, Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island, the Churches of Chiloé, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, and the Sewell Mining Town

Sun and Surf Chile is home to many stunning beaches along its long northern and central coasts, making it an ideal destination for clients looking for a sunny holiday. The warm waters of the Pacific are excellent for swimming and water sports, and deliver up a splendid bounty of seafood that is featured in excellent the restaurants throughout the region. The most popular of Chile’s beaches are found in Arica, La Serena, Zapallar, Reñaca and Viña del Mar. All coastal resorts offer a good variety of hotel accommodations, ranging from clean, basic facilities to luxury resorts such as the Marbella Resort near Zapallar. Principal Attractions

Natural Attractions Chile is a beautiful land of magnificent physical contrast – and a paradise for nature lovers. From the desert in the north to the ice fields of the south, the land is home to an incredible number of unique plant, bird and animal species. It is hardly surprising to learn that Chile boasts so many protected wildlife areas. A vast network of nationally-protected areas – including 19% of Chile’s total territory – runs the length and breadth of the country, and includes no less than 32 national parks, 48 national preserves and 13 natural monuments.

Two of the most important are Lauca National Park in northern Chile and Torres del Paine National Park in the far south.

Lauca National Park, located in the Altiplano, is filled with flamingos, ñandús (ostrich-like bird) and vicuñas. It also contains some of Chile’s most spectacular scenery, including Lake Chungará, one of the world’s highest lakes, set against a background of snow-capped volcanoes.

Torres del Paine National Park is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve . It boasts one of the most photographed sites in the country – its enormous towers and horns of granite and rock. The park is a popular destination for hikers and backpackers as well as birders and animal watchers. Principal Attractions

Drink No Chilean meal is complete without vwine from the countryside, where vineyards like Undurraga, Santa Carolina, Cousiño Macul, and Concha y Toro produce excellent reds and whites for domestic and foreign markets. Chile is famous for its Pisco, a powerful Muscatel grape-based distilled spirit produced in the northern vineyards in the Limarí and Elqui valleys, and as far as Copiapó. It serves as the basis for the pisco sour, Chile’s rival to the margarita.

Sea Kayaking When the Spanish arrived in Chiloé in the 16th century, they found the islands and continental fjords populated by a seagoing people known as Chonos, who paddled canoes known as dalcas . In the fjords and islands of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, the Yamana and Alacalufe Indians traveled through some of the world’s most Tempestuous waters in similar craft. Today, a number of outfitters offer soft adventure paddling trips in the northern Patagonian fjords and the islands of the Chiloé archipelago. These trips do not require previous paddling experience, nor are they physically challenging, as all paddling is done in protected fjords and islands, with no exposed crossings. More Attractions

Road and Mountain Biking For many, bike touring is the ideal way to get to know a landscape. The pace allows for much closer observation than motorized travel, but allows for a greater traveling range than walking. Sounds and smells allow for a more intimate connection, providing travelers with more context of place. Speed, exercise, and adrenaline are all self-administered, sothat members of a single group can have a variety of experiences, depending upon individual tastes and abilities. The most common concerns about bike touring have to do with safety, principally traffic. Most trips in Chile visit areas far from the main road, where traffic is sparse to nonexistent – unless you consider a team of oxen or a huaso on horseback, to be traffic. Most trips travel over trails or dirt roads, for which reason mountain bikes are standard issue.

Fishing Modern sport fishing in Chile got its start in 1893, when Isidora Goyenechea, wife of a wealthy mining magnate, created the country’s first fish hatchery. Once introduced, the non-native trout found southern Chile’s rivers and lakes to provide ideal habitat. Today, rainbow, brook and brown trout are widespread throughout the south, attaining truly immense proportions in many of the larger lakes and rivers. Atlantic salmon, coho, and steelhead trout, all introduced within the last twenty years, inhabit a more limited rang making their upriver dash to spawn mid to late summer (February - April). Fishing season in most regions lasts from October to April. Fly fishermen from North America find that fish here generally respond to the same flies used at home, only more aggressively: most have never seen a fly before. We Hope You Found This Useful

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