Chile: Chile and Agricultural Potential Chile Essay

Submitted By madisonkveton
Words: 1144
Pages: 5

People migrated to fertile valleys along the coast about 10,000 years ago. The land that they settled on is now known as Chile. The first people to arrive in Chile were Diego de Almagro and his conquistadors. They came from Peru, in 1536, seeking gold. Pedro de Valdivia began a conquest of Chile in 1540. On the conquest the Spaniards didn’t find the gold they were looking for they realized how much agricultural potential Chile had and recognized it as part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Chile soon wanted independence from Spain. War started in 1810 and lasted until 1817 when Bernando O’Higgins and Jose de San Martin crossed the Andes into Chile and defeated the royalties. On February 12, 1818, under O’Higgins’s leadership Chile was announced and independent republic. Resulting from a war, years later, with Peru and Bolivia Chile was able to expand its territory north. On February 27th, 2010 there was a devastating earthquake effecting over two million people. It had a magnitude of 8.8, making it the fifth largest earthquake ever recorded. Over five hundred people were killed, and hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed. On August 5th, 2010 another devastating event occurred. The access tunnel of the San Jose copper and gold mine, in the Atacama Desert, collapsed trapping thirty three men 2,300 feet below earth’s surface. Seventeen days later the Chilean Government located the miners, and on October 13, 2010 all thirty three men were brought to the surface. Chile achieved global recognition for the successful rescue. Chile’s Armed Forces are controlled by Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. General Juan Miguel Fuente-Alba Poblete is the commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army. The Chilean Army has 36,250 people and its headquarters are in Santiago. The Chilean Army is one of Latin Americas most professional and technologically advanced armies. The Chilean Navy is directed by Admiral Edmundo Gonzalez Robles. There are 2,500 marines and 2,000 coastguards. They have more than 85 ships but no navy fighter/ bomber aircraft. The Chilean Navy also has four diesel-electric submarines. General Jorge Rojas Avila leads the Chilean Air force of 12,500 men and women. There are five air brigades’ headquarters. They have ten Block 50 F-16s. They bought them new from the U.S. The Chilean Air force also has thirty six reconditioned Block 15 F-16s from the Netherlands. Chile has had sound economic policies for about three decades. The government’s role in Chile’s economy is limited to regulation. Chile welcomes large amounts of foreign investment, meaning trade. Chile has a free trade agreement with the United States, along with fifty nine other countries. Chile is located in South America. Chile’s territory goes from the tropics to Antarctica, and from sea level to mountaintops, therefore the country has a variety of climate conditions. In northern Chile there is little to no rainfall and it’s very hot and arid. Central Chile is Mediterranean and has very cold and wet winters and southern Chile stays cold and wet most of the year, Chile is about twice the size of California, about 302,778 square miles. The capitol of Chile is Santiago. Chile’s terrain varies depending on what part of it you are in. The north has a desert like terrain and a fertile central valley. Toward the south there are volcanos and many lakes. Chile has a rugged and complex coastline, and on the eastern boarder lay the Andes Mountains. Chile has over seventeen million people living in it with a growth rate of .881%. Chile consists mainly of Spanish-Native Americans, Europeans, and Native Americans. People in Chile practice many religions: 70% roman Catholic, 15.1% Evangelical, 1.1% Jehovah’s witness, Christian 1%, other or none12.9%. The primary language in Chile is Spanish. In Chile twelve years of high school is required. Three million people are currently attending high school. Chile has a 96% adult literacy rate. 6.45 million people are currently employed