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| Official Abbreviation CL |
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| Given the historical imprint left on Chile by the Spanish, it is apropos that the country stretches in elongated relief alongside the southern coastline of South America, just as a painting by El Greco slinks vertically along the Cathedral walls in Toledo, Spain. Pre-Conquest Chile was inhabited in the south by the Araucanian Indians, and to the north by the Incan empire. Spanish subjugation followed, lasting for centuries, bookended by several sessions of political turmoil, crowned by the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet from 1973-1990. Since then, Chile has continued to grow as a stable democracy, a breathtakingly unique country, and a regional power. Chile stretches like a long snake, caught between a rock (the Andes Mountains) and a wet place, (the Pacific Ocean) but it is this unique strip of land- bridging ocean swells and the Andean spine which has made Chile such a topographically singular locale. The world's 38th largest state (after Turkey,) Chile is marginally larger than Texas.
The mysterious and iconic Easter Island is also owned by Chile, and continues to be one of the nation's largest tourists draws. With just under 4000 miles (6435 km) of coastline, the scale of orographic ascent is steep, Chile encompasses an elevation of zero at the Pacific, and soars to a height of 22,572 feet (6880 m) at the summit of the Nevado Ojos de Salado. The climate shifts as the coastline slithers southward, its bone-dry northern desert fading to Mediterranean breezes, shifting towards damp cool Patagonic southern climes. The nation's fertile central valley is renowned for its excellent varietals, Chilean wine continues to gain favor in the international wine market.
A smallish population of 16 million people does nothing to diminish the stature of the country, especially with a regionally higher than average $12,700 per capita income, giving the Chileans more purchasing power than some of their less elongated neighbors. A visit to Chile should include a sunny stay at the posh beach resort, Viña del Mar, and a southerly spell spent admiring the penguins and fjords. Take a week or two of rafting along the Bio Bio River or the Claro. Top each day off with some of the robust reds out of Casa Lapostolle, a quintessential grower south of Santiago. Expect sweet accents and strong tannins out of these pampered grapes treated to a shower of Chilean sunshine. |
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