1. Where is Chile?

Chile or officially the Republic of Chile is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernndez, Salas y Gmez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island. 2. Where does the name Chile originate? There are various theories about the origin of the word Chile. According to 17thcentury Spanish chronicler Diego de Rosales the Incas called the valley of the Aconcagua "Chili" by corruption of the name of a Picunche tribal chief ("cacique") called Tili, who ruled the area at the time of the Incan conquest in the 15th century. Another theory points to the similarity of the valley of the Aconcagua with that of the Casma Valley in Peru, where there was a town and valley named Chili. Other theories say Chile may derive its name from a Native American word meaning either "ends of the earth" or "sea gulls"; from the Mapuche word chilli, which may mean "where the land ends;" or from the Quechua chiri, "cold", or tchili, meaning either "snow" or "the deepest point of the Earth" Another origin attributed to chilli is the onomatopoeic cheele-cheelethe Mapuche imitation of the warble of a bird locally known as trile. The Spanish conquistadors heard about this name from the Incas, and the few survivors of Diego de Almagro's first Spanish expedition south from Peru in 153536 called themselves the "men of Chilli". Ultimately, Almagro is credited with the universalization of the name Chile, after naming the Mapocho valley as such. The older spelling "Chili" was in use in English until at least 1900 before switching over to "Chile". 3. Does Chile have a Prime Minister or President? Chile has a President. His name is Sebastin Piera Echenique, of the National Renewal. In January 2010, Chileans elected Sebastin Piera as the first rightist President in 20 years, defeating former President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle of the Concertacin, for a four-year term succeeding Bachelet. 4. What language is spoken in Chile? The Spanish spoken in Chile is distinctively accented and quite unlike that of neighbouring South American countries because final syllables and " s" sounds are dropped, and some consonants have a soft pronunciation. Accent varies only very slightly from north to south; more noticeable are the small differences in accent based on social class or whether one lives in the city or the country. That the

Chilean population was largely formed in a small section at the center of the country and then migrated in modest numbers to the north and south helps explain this relative lack of differentiation, which was maintained by the national reach of radio, and now television, which also helps to diffuse and homogenize colloquial expressions. There are several indigenous languages spoken in Chile: Mapudungun, Quechua, Aymara and Rapa Nui. After the Spanish invasion, Spanish took over as the lingua franca and the indigenous languages have become minority languages, with some now extinct or close to extinction. 5. Who are the native people of Chile? Indigenous peoples in Chile form about 4.6% of the total population (692,000 selfidentified persons of indigenous origins were registered in 2002). The Mapuches, from the south, accounted for approximately 85% of this number. There were also small populations of Aymara, Quechua, Atacameo, Kolla, Diaguita, Yaghan, Rapa Nui, and Kawaskhar in other parts of the country,[2] as well as many other extinct peoples such as Cacahue, Chango, Picunche, Chono, Tehuelche, Cunco and Selknam. 6. 25 Fun facts about Chile.

1. Chile is one of only two countries in all of South America that does not border Brazil 2. Over 1/3 of the world's copper production is produced in Chile 3. Valparaiso is one of the most prosperous cities in all of Chile and is known as The Garden City 4. Chile has one of the longest recorded dry spells in the Atacama Desert it did not rain for 40 years. 5. The number one world exporter for Salmon is Chile, It topped the united states in the early 2000s 6. Contrary to popular belief soccer is the most popular sport in Chile 7. Along the mountainous region of Chile, there are over 1300 volcanoes and a number of them can still be active.

8. The Majority of the Chilean population lives in the capital city of Santiago, Chile 9. Chile received its independence from Spanish colonial rule in 1913 10. The maoi island off the coast of Chile, was annexed by Chile and renamed Easter Island in the late seventeen hundreds 11. One of the fastest growing cities in Chile i La Serena it has grown by as much as 30 % in the last 30 years 12. The inlet at the top of Africa was part of Chile in the days of Pangaea. 13. Chile has the largest annual fireworks show in all of South America, In the City of Valparaiso, 14. Chile has an unusual name for a football team (soccer) they call themselves the O Higgions a Patriot of Chilean rule 15. Chiles borders also extend past the main land. Chile claims part of Antartica and the southern most island known as Joses. 16. Chile has one of the worlds largest and most deserted deserts known as Atacama 17. The city at the very tip of Chile called Punta Arenas it is the southern most city on a continent in the world

18. The southernmost village in the world is also in Chile Called Puerto Williams 19. Chile also has the One of the highest lakes above sea level in the world called Lake Chungara 20. The most popular tourist attraction in all of Chile is Vina del Mar 21. Chile has one of the longest coastlines in the world, but also one of the smallest at being 6500 km long and 200 km wide

22. Chile has many large cities, but the second largest is located in the north along the Bio Rivercalled Concepcion 23. The Country of Chile got its names from the native nomads that first occupied the land. The meaning of the word Chile in native tounge means Where the land Ends.. Seems appropriate 24. The Andes Mountains in Chile have some of the worlds largest and still active volcanos. 25. By a flaw in design, the church of Campania had doors that sung inward which caused a large wind to push them open. One day a strong wind blew the doors open. This wind knocked a candle off the podium and disrupt the meeting of worshippers. Theburning candle roared through the church which resulted in the churches destruction. More than 2500 people died in that fire