Chile the Country

Chile, The Republic of Chile is a country located in South America. Chile occupies a long coastal strip between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. To the East It shares borders with Argentina, and to the North Peru.

Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central and southern Chile; the latter were not completely subjugated until the early 1880s.

Several theories exist to the origin of the world Chile. One theory, the Incas of Peru, who had failed to conquer the Araucanians, called the valley of the Aconcagua by corruption of the name of a tribal chief called Tili. Tili who ruled the area during the time of the Incan conquest.

One more theory points out the similarities of the Aconcagua valley with that of the Casma in Peru. In Casma Peru there was a town and valley named Chili. Others think that Chile may have derived its name from the indigenous Mapuche word chilli, which may have meant `where the land ends` or `the deepest point of the Earth`.

Approximately 10,000 years ago, Native Americans migrating from the North settled in fertile valleys of South America which is now Chile. The Incas for a while extended their empire into what is present day northern Chile, but because of the area`s remoteness, and the strong opposition that existed at the time extensive settlement was prevented.

Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

For anyone who has ever been fascinated by geography, the long, impossibly thin line of Chile has always produced a tiny moment of astonishment. Chile stretches over 4,300 km (2,700 mi) along the southwestern coast of South America, a distance roughly the same as that from San Francisco to New York.