The Flag of Chile

Natural Disasters

On the morning of February 27, 2010, Chile was hit with an earthquake which measured an 8.8 on the Richter scale. The death toll did not reach thousands, despite how big the earthquake was. Because of this earthquake, Chile was able to build better building codes, which has continually been upgraded. This has better prepared Chile for any upcoming earthquakes to lower the death toll.

1970

Allende was the first president in a non-communist country. He became the president of Chile in 1970. Introducing Marxist social and economic reforms, Allende rapidly established associations with Cuba and the People's Republic of China.

1817

Chile was ruled by Spain for over four hundred years. In 1817, Chile gained its independence from Spain, after 7 years of warfare.

Clothing

Traditional Chilean clothing is usually very vivid and colorful. It is also based around comfort due to the fact that many of Chileans work with jobs that use manual labor. Modern fashion also has much influence from traditional Chilean clothing because it is very patriotic, representing its country and it being bright.



The Chamanto (above) is a traditional Chilean garment, worn by both men and women at any time of day. This poncho is very colorful and attractive, and hard to make due to the complex weaving involved in making them. It is usually made of silk or wool.

Language

The original Spanish spoken in Chile was similar to the Andalusian dialect, but indigenous languages such as Quechua and Mapudungun influenced Chile as well. Final syllables and "s" sounds are likely to be dropped and said softly. Chilean Spanish is hard for foreigners to understand because it is high in slang and local expressions.

Religion

Most of the Chilean population, about 73%, is associated with the Roman Catholic Church. About 15% classify their selves with many Protestant groups, which include the Anglicans and Lutherans. A majority of Chilean Protestants, approximately 90% of them, belong to the Pentecostal Church. In Chile, about 4% of the population participate in other religions, such as Judaism, Islam, and Greek Orthodox and about 8% do not belong to any religion. Many Chileans respect the beliefs of the other religions.