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See the fact file below for more information about Chile or alternatively, you can download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
General Information
- Capital: Santiago
- Population: 18,449,206 (2018 est.)
- Area: Total: 756,950 sq km
- Land: 748,800 sq km
- Note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez
- Water: 8,150 sq km – slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
- Government: Republic
- Money: Chilean peso (CLP)
- Climate: Temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south
- Languages: Spanish
Fun Facts
- The Atacama Desert is the driest desert on Earth and is found in Chile.
- The “Moai” Island is inhabited by Rapa Nui people who became Chilean citizens in 1996 – yes, that’s Easter Island!
- Three of Chile’s most-watched and historically active volcanoes are Cerro Azul, Cerro Hudson, and Villarrica. They are all composite volcanoes, sometimes called stratovolcanoes.
- Chile is one of the longest countries in the world with a coastline of around 6,500km long. It’s also one of the narrowest in the world with a width of just over 200 km.
- The oldest known deliberate mummy is a child, one of the Chinchorro mummies found in the Camarones Valley in Chile from around 5050 B.C.
History – Colonial Period
- At the time of the Spanish conquest of Chile in the mid-16th century, at least 500,000 indigenous people inhabited the region.
- The Spanish conquest of Chile began in 1536–37, when forces under Diego de Almagro, associate and subsequent rival of Francisco Pizarro, invaded the region as far south as the Maule River in search of an “Otro Peru”.
- During the colonial period, and because only limited amounts of precious metal were found in Chile, the settlers turned their attention to agriculture quite early.
- Because Chile was considered a poor colony, up until the 18th century, the Spanish crown only sent mediocre officials to preside over its administration.
- The most apparent social development after 1600 was the rapid growth of a mestizo (mixed Indian and European) group, which gives present-day Chile its homogeneous ethnic character.
History – Independence
- The initial move toward independence of Chile from its colonizers was made on September 18, 1810, when a cabildo abierto (open town meeting) was held in Santiago.
- Bernardo O’Higgins, future director-dictator of Chile, led his army to Chilean independence and was proclaimed supreme director of Chile. It was declared on February 12, 1818.
- Chile was free, but its inherent weaknesses were everywhere manifest. The oligarchy had substantial control over the years, even after WWI.
- By the 1920s, the decline of the ruling class was apparent as politics was already heavily influenced by the middle class.
- The political system was challenging but as the 21st century entered, democratic government systems were strengthened.
- Chile remained one of South America’s most-successful economies in the early 21st century, as industrial production generally grew and unemployment decreased.
Geography & Climate
- The major landforms of Chile are arranged as three parallel north–south units: The Andes mountains to the east; the intermediate depression, or longitudinal valley, in the centre; and the coastal ranges to the west.
- The permanent chilling effect of the Peru Current and the constantly blowing southwesterlies emanating from the South Pacific anticyclone determine a temperate climate for most of northern and central Chile.
- It extends approximately 2,700 miles (4,300km) from its boundary with Peru, to the tip of South America at Cape Horn, only about 400 miles north of Antarctica.
- Because of the country’s extreme length it has a wide variety of climates, from the coastal desert beginning in the tropical north to the cold subantarctic southern tip.
- Chile is a land of extreme natural events: Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis originating along major faults of the ocean floor.
People & Culture
- The Chileans are ethnically a mixture of Europeans and indigenous Indians.
- The first miscegenation occurred during the 16th and 17th centuries between the indigenous tribes, including the Atacameños, Diaguitas, Picunches, Araucanians, Huilliches,
- Pehuenches, and Cuncos, and the conquistadors from Spain.
- The population displays a strong sense of cultural identity, which can be traced to the predominance of the Spanish language.
Chile Worksheets
This bundle includes 10 ready-to-use Chile worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about Chile, known officially as the Republic of Chile, which is a South American country which is the long, narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
This download includes the following worksheets:
- Chile Facts
- Quick Quiz
- Chilean Symbols – Coloring
- Chilean Beauty – Tourism Word Find
- Let’s Talk – Translation
- Famous Chileans – Famed For…
- Disasters and Recovery
- Keeping Safe
- City Letter Jumble
- Chile Acrostic
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Link will appear as Chile Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 5, 2018
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.