Portal:Chile

The Chile Portal

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the Southern Cone of southwestern South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, extending along a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. According to the 2024 census, Chile had an enumerated population of 18.5 million. The country covers a territorial area of 756,102 square kilometers (291,933 sq mi), sharing borders with Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. It also administers several Pacific islands, including Juan Fernández, Isla Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island, and claims about 1,250,000 square kilometers (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica as the Chilean Antarctic Territory. The capital and largest city is Santiago, and the official and national language is Spanish.

Spain conquered and colonized the region in the mid-16th century, replacing Inca rule; however, they failed to conquer the autonomous tribal Mapuche people who inhabited what is now south-central Chile. Chile emerged as a relatively stable authoritarian republic in the 1830s after its 1818 declaration of independence from Spain. During the 19th century, Chile experienced significant economic and territorial growth, putting an end to Mapuche resistance in the 1880s and gaining its current northern territory in the War of the Pacific (1879–83) by defeating Peru and Bolivia.

In the 20th century, until the 1970s, Chile underwent a process of democratization and experienced rapid population growth and urbanization, while relying increasingly on exports from copper mining to support its economy. During the 1960s and 1970s, the country was marked by severe left-right political polarization and turmoil, which culminated in the 11 September 1973 coup d'état, with support from the United States, that overthrew Salvador Allende's democratically elected left-wing government. This was followed by a 16-and-a-half-year right-wing military dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet, during which the 1980 Constitution was enacted, along with numerous political and economic reforms, and which was marked by widespread human rights violations, including more than 3,000 deaths and disappearances. The regime ended in 1990, following a referendum in 1988, and was succeeded by a center-left coalition, which ruled until 2010. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Good article - show another

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Salar de Punta Negra is a saltpan in the Antofagasta Region of Chile with a surface area of about 230 square kilometres (89 sq mi). It is surrounded by deposits left by dry valleys that descend the Western Cordillera. These dry valleys, from mountains such as the Llullaillaco volcano, carry water only occasionally. More permanent sources of water, in the form of springs, also exist at Salar de Punta Negra.

At the beginning of the Holocene era, the area was wetter than today, although the idea that Salar de Punta Negra once contained a permanent lake has been disproven. Early humans moved into the area to exploit the wetlands and left traces in the form of projectile points and archeological sites. Copper mining presently takes place in the region. (Full article...)

List of Good articles

Selected biography - show another

Official portrait, 1990

Patricio Aylwin Azócar OMCh (Latin American Spanish pronunciation: [paˈtɾisjo ˈelwin aˈsokaɾ] ^ⓘ; 26 November 1918 – 19 April 2016) was a Chilean politician, lawyer, author, professor and former senator who was the 30th president of Chile from 1990 to 1994. He was the first president to be elected after the end of Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship following the 1988 Chilean presidential referendum, marking the Chilean transition to democracy in 1990. He was from the Christian Democratic Party.

Born in Viña del Mar, to British descent on his father's side, Aylwin was an active politician since 1945. He was first elected Senator in 1965, and later became president of the Senate in 1971 under Salvador Allende's administration. After the 1973 coup, he led the Christian Democratic Party on two occasions, and was elected president in 1989. His administration was defined by social and economic reforms, the latter of which led to a significant decrease in Chile's homeless population. Aylwin was also a staunch supporter of the Chilean National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, which sought to prosecute those involved in human rights violations during the dictatorship. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

Selected article - show another

International relations between the Republic of Chile and the Argentine Republic have existed for decades. The border between the two countries is the world's third-longest international border, which is 5,300 km (3,300 mi) long and runs from north to south along the Andes mountains. Although both countries gained their independence during the South American wars of liberation, during much of the 19th and the 20th century, relations between the countries were tense as a result of disputes over the border in Patagonia. Despite this, Chile and Argentina have never been engaged in a war with each other. In recent years, relations have improved. Argentina and Chile have followed quite different economic policies. Chile has signed free trade agreements with countries such as Canada, China, South Korea, and the United States, as well as the European Union, and it's a member of the APEC. Argentina belongs to the Mercosur regional free trade area. In April 2018, both countries suspended their membership from the UNASUR. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

General images

Image 1José Manuel Balmaceda (from History of Chile)
Image 2The Mapuche were the original inhabitants of central and southern Chile (from History of Chile)
Image 3"No" supporters celebrate their victory in the 1988 referendum (from History of Chile)
Image 4Map showing changes of territory due to the War of the Pacific (from History of Chile)
Image 5Picture of the 1915 presidential election in Chile (from History of Chile)
Image 6Chilean patriots, by Johann Moritz Rugendas (from History of Chile)
Image 7Nobel laureate Gabriela Mistral (from Culture of Chile)
Image 8Estadio Nacional de Chile (from Culture of Chile)
Image 9Chilean huaso singing (from Culture of Chile)
Image 10Fiestas Patrias of Chile, 1854 (from History of Chile)
Image 11Territorial losses of the Republic of Chile de jure (by law) according to Chilean historiography. (from History of Chile)
Image 12The Arauco War. The painting depicts a woman being kidnapped during a malón (from History of Chile)
Image 13Five presidents of Chile since Transition to democracy (1990–2022), celebrating the Bicentennial of Chile (from History of Chile)
Image 14Los Jaivas, performing "Alturas de Machu Picchu", a version of a part of Pablo Neruda´s Canto General live at Machu Picchu (from Culture of Chile)
Image 15Picture "The young Lautaro" of Pedro Subercaseaux that show to genius military and hero of the Arauco war after the arrival of the Spanish to Chilean territory (from History of Chile)
Image 16Marchers for Salvador Allende (from History of Chile)
Image 17Diego Portales (from History of Chile)
Image 18Arturo Alessandri Palma (from History of Chile)
Image 19Paila marina (from Culture of Chile)

Did you know (auto generated)

... that 72,000 forms for the 2017 Chilean census from the Atacama Region, enough for 60% of its population, were damaged by heavy rains?
... that the 2024 Chilean census was delayed twice by a total of nearly two years?
... that Rincón Chileno was nicknamed the "second Chilean consulate" by the Chilean immigrant community in Los Angeles?
... that singer Tati Penna was considered one of the first feminists on Chilean television?
... that anti-Pinochet dissident Luis Corvalán had his appearance surgically altered by Soviet doctors before returning to Chile?
... that Manuel García de Sena's 1811 translation of U.S. founding documents into Spanish influenced the first constitutions of Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela?

Topics

Recognized content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Chile}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.

Featured articles

Good articles

Featured pictures

360-degree Panorama of the Southern Sky edit
A 360 degree panorama of a unique cloudscape over La Silla
American kestrel (Falco sparverius cinnamominus) male Leona Amarga
Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) male Farellones
Black-necked swan (Cygnus melancoryphus) Santiago
Blanco's Open Dome (Cerro-Tololo-Drone-Pic 15-CC) - edit1
Chiloe wigeon (Mareca sibilatrix) male Tricao 3
Chimango caracara (Daptrius chimango temucoensis) female Puerto Varas
Culpeo MC
FCAB EMD GT22CU-3 San Pedro - Ascotan
Gauchowheat edit2
Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Leona Amarga 2
Géiseres del Tatio, Atacama, Chile, 2016-02-01, DD 03-05 HDR
Laguna Miñiques, Chile, 2016-02-08, DD 33-38 PAN
Laser Towards Milky Ways Centre
Lesser rhea (Rhea pennata pennata) Torres del Paine
Long-tailed meadowlark (Leistes loyca loyca) breeding male Leona Amarga
Miscanti Lagoon near San Pedro de Atacama Chile Luca Galuzzi 2006
Moai Rano raraku
Paranal and the Pacific at sunset (dsc4088, retouched, cropped)
Puma (Puma concolor concolor) female Leona Amarga
SQM GE 289A Boxcab Carmelita - Reverso
The European Extremely Large Telescope
Volcanos Lascar left and Aguas Calientes right
Volcán Aucanquilcha, Chile, 2016-02-10, DD 11
Volcán San Pedro, Chile, 2016-02-09, DD 18
Vortex-street-1

WikiProjects


WikiProject Chile


South America	Latin America	Countries	Antarctica

Related portals

New articles

This list was generated from these rules. Questions and feedback are always welcome! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.

Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Deleted articles| Last updated: 2026-08-26 19:36 (UTC)

Note: The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.