Name

There are different theories about the origin of the word "Chile". The Spanish chronicler Diego de Rosales believes that the Incas called the Chili valley of the Aconcagua River. In favor of this theory is evidenced by the fact that in the valley of the river Kasma in Peru was a city and a valley named Chili.

According to other theories, Chile got its name from the Indian word, which means "the edge of the earth"; Or from the word Chiri in the language of Quechua, which means "cold", or tchili, which means "snow".

Capital

Santiago (also Santiago de Chile, Grand Santiago, Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. Administrative center of the capital city and province of Santiago. It is a conglomerate of 37 disparate communes without a single governing body.

The population is 5.4 million people (2002), or 36% of the population. Santiago is one of the largest cities in South America.

Chile's main political, economic and cultural center. Produces 43% of the country's GDP (2005).

Santiago was founded in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia and named after St. James. Since 1818 - the capital of independent Chile.

History

Chile's history begins with the region's settlement about 13,000 years ago. Before the invasion of the Spaniards in the northern part of Chile, the indigenous peoples of Quechua and Aymara lived, in the central part - Mapuche, in the south - Alakalufi, Magani and She. In the late XIII - early XIV centuries, the northern part of Chile (up to the Maule River) was conquered by the Incas. To the south of the Maul River, the Mapuchee tribes did not obey the Incas.

In the XVI century, conquering and conquering the territories of present Chile by the Spanish conquistadors began. The northern areas whose populations have become accustomed to live under the rule of the Incas, the Spaniards conquered easily. At this time, the Spaniards founded settlements: Santiago, Valparaiso, Concepcion, Valdivia, which simultaneously serve as fortresses. In the areas of Mapuche residence, the promotion of the Spaniards to the south was accompanied by hostilities.

The Spaniards did not find rich deposits of precious metals in Chile, and colonization became of an agricultural character, with influx in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries settlers from the poorest Spanish province of Extremadura, as well as the Basques. In the central part of Chile, the natural conditions were similar to the Mediterranean. There began to cultivate wheat, barley, hemp, grapes. They also bred cattle and sheep. From the XVIII century, the extraction of copper was of great importance. Thus, in the colonial era, the foundations of the modern economy of Chile were laid. During this period, the process of mixing took place. By the beginning of the XIX century methyas accounted for about 80% of the population of the country.

At the beginning of the 19th century (1810-1823), led by Bernardo O'Higgins and Manuel Rodriguez, the Chilean people gained independence from the colonial power of Spain.

The successful Chilean and Argentine war against Bolivia and Peru in 1837 and the first and second Pacific War provided Chile a dominant position on the west coast of South America. In the middle of the XIX century, a number of settlements in Chile founded settlers from Germany.

Economy

The development of Chile until the Second World War was primarily due to the production of nitrate and copper, and then coal and silver were mined. Extraction of minerals has led to a significant economic growth of the country.

The main industry in the country is mining (copper and other metals). Chile is the world's largest exporter of copper, produced and molded by the national company CODELCO. Exploiting other resources, such as iron, molybdenum, nitrate, gold and silver, is also important. In addition, Chile has 21.9% of the world's stock of lithium. In 2012, the country concentrated 37% of the world's production of this mineral. In 1984, the national stone was declared a lasagne, which is mined in the north of Chile.

Among other branches of industry are developed metallurgical, woodworking, food, textile. Agriculture, including fisheries and forestry, provides 7% of GNP (13% of employed), developed livestock, wheat, grapes, beans, sugar beet, potatoes, and fruits. Chile is one of the largest exporters of fruits, as well as fish and wood products.

Chile has one of the highest Per capita incomes in Latin America (along with Uruguay).

Main trade partners: China, USA, Japan, Brazil. The monetary unit is the Chilean peso.

Religion

The church in Chile was separated from the state. In accordance with the Constitution of 1925, more than 80% of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. Typically church rarely interfere in the political life of the country, but since the late 1960s, following the instructions of papal encyclicals dedicated to social issues and influenced by social trends of European Catholicism, Chilean church began to play an important role in the country social reforms, and the number socially active clergy has grown significantly. Some clerics contributed to the growth of the influence of the Christian Democratic Party.

In 1970, Chile's Catholic Church officially announced the rejection of capitalism and refused securities profitable land and property that belonged to her.

In addition to Catholics, there are influential groups of Protestants in Chile (according to the 1992 census they make up 13% of the population). A significant influence of the Protestant Church explains the strong support from the UK and the presence in the country a number of educational institutions and social institutions based North American religious organizations.

People

During the colonial period on the territory of Chile arrived and settled from 100 thousand to 150 thousand Europeans, mainly Spaniards. Then in the 70-90s of the XIX century in the southern regions of the central part of the country came about two tens of thousands of Germans. In 1880-1890 years in Chile came to 75 thousand. New citizens, including 44 thousand. Spaniards to 19 thousand. Italian and French 12 th. Swiss.

In the 20th century, the number of immigrants in Chile amounted to more than 600 thousand people, mainly Spaniards, Italians, Germans, Croats and Arabs.

From 30% to 55% of Chileans belong to europeoids. Metiss make up 45% to 65%, Indians - 5% of the population. Ethnic composition of immigrants has been and remains very diverse, dominated by immigrants from Spain (mainly Basques and Galician people), Italy, Germany, France, Croatia, the British Isles. 5% of the population comes from the Germans, Portuguese, Italians, French and Southern Slavs.

Today, more than 800 thousand people born abroad live in Chile.

According to National Institutes of Intelligence (INE), the population of Chile is 18,006,407, of which 8,911,940 are men and 9,094,467 are women. According to the 2002 census, this figure amounted to 15,116,435, of which 7,447,695 were men and 7,668,740 were women.

Growth of the population has recently decreased. Though the Chilean population during the twentieth century has reached a fivefold increase from 2 695 625 inhabitants in 1895 to 5 023 539 in 1940 and 13 348 401 in 1992, the intercessional rate of growth between 1992 and 2002 was 1.24% in year, while between 2002 and 2012 it was 0.99%.

Due to improved living conditions, the life expectancy of Chileans in 2014 was the highest in Latin America - 81.7 years (78.6 for men and 84.5 for women). Statistics show the aging of the Chilean society, in which a large part of the population will be over 35 years old in 2020, having defeated a group of young, dominant at that time. Thus, in 2025, the demographic pyramid will reach a bell-shaped profile as a result of the demographic transition that takes place in Chile.

Ukrainian community

The Ukrainians who got to Chile, did not escape from anyone or anything, just a destiny. Every month, if not every week, Ukrainian citizens arrive in Chile and stay there. Therefore, the 2007 statistics from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the number of Ukrainians in this country of about 200 people have lost their relevance at the time of publication.

Of course, several hundred Ukrainians are just a drop in the sea, compared to neighboring Argentina, where the bill goes to hundreds of thousands or Brazil, which houses more than 400,000 ethnic Ukrainians.

At present, there is no organized life among the Ukrainians in Chile, and there is not even a separate place where they could meet regularly. There are also no stores of Ukrainian products, Ukrainian schools and libraries. However, our compatriots are still gathering in larger or smaller groups: at someone in the house or in the nature.

Since there are not so many Ukrainians, they are all familiar, either on-call or on-call, or at least know who lives and what they are doing.

Although there are those who prefer the relationship only with the Chilean, but the vast majority willingly meet and meet with compatriots. Chilean Ukrainians are mostly people with a higher education who have a permanent job or their own business. Maybe that's why they have time and desire to chat, meet, share books or home-made dishes.

R. Kukharenko