Chile is long (4,329 km) and narrow (It has average width is 180 km; 360 km at its widest part, and 15 km at its narrowest)

Located in South America.

17,094, 000 inhabitants

Divided into 15 Regions

Capital City: Santiago

Chile, country of contrasts

The Andes Mountains

separates the geography.

Chile contains a wide variety of climates. Typical Mediterranean climate zone presents

dry summers  

Chile, a land of a long coast that is washed by Pacific

ocean

Chile, an unexplored and wild land.

Chile has the largest word’s

copper reserves and it is one of

the most important exports

Chile has the biggest open pit copper mine in

the world,

Chuquicamata

Chile is a important producer and exporter of fruit during the winter in the countries on the North Hemisphere.

9th Exporter of food in the world

Chile, land of the famous Pisco Sour and award-

winning wines

Chile, the Land of “Huasos” with

their traditional clothes.

Chile,

The Land of the native American tribe “Mapuches” or “Araucanos”, who fought against the Spanish and Chilean government for 300 years.

Now, they fight by maintaining their lands, identity and tradition.

Chile, Land of Poetry

Pablo Neruda (Prize Nobel, 1971)

Gabriela Mistral (Prize Nobel, 1945)

Chile, Land where the “Cueca” is

danced .

Chile,

A catholic Country, but where the law protects and respect freedom of religion

History of Chile

The Spanish were settled by Pedro de Valdivia in southern Chile in 1540. He established several settlements, including Santiago in 1541, Concepción in 1550, and Valdivia in 1552. However, he confronted the fierce resistance from the Araucanians, who killed him.

Pedro de Valdivia

Fundation of Santiago. Painting of Pedro Lira

On September 18, 1810, in Santiago the First Joint of Government deposed the colonial governor of Spain.

After Chacabuco battle on February 12, 1817, Bernardo O'Higgins, proclaimed the absolute independence of Chile.

O'Higgins, was Director General of Chile in 1818 and ruled the country.

Diego Portales gave a new constitution, vesting immense powers in the executive department of the government, and organized the Republic.

In 1879 the Chilean government began a war against Peru and Bolivia which became the War of the Pacific.

.

Chile won the war in 1883, acquired territory that including the province of Antofagasta from Bolivia and the province of Tarapacá from Peru.

The motives of the war were Chilean interests in the exploitation of the immensely valuable nitrate deposits in the Atacama Desert. The result of this war is the lingering animosity among Chile, Peru and Bolivia.

In 1891, there occurred a Civil War where political forces closely allied with the Roman Catholic clergy organized a revolt against the administration of President José Manuel Balmaceda, a Liberal Party leader. More than 10,000 lives was lost and considerable property destroyed. Balmaceda finally committed suicide.

The following years were established a parliamentary Government.

Democratic Presidents of 20th century

Arturo Alessandri Palma (1925-25 and 1932-38), established the constitution of 1925 that finished with the parliamentary government.

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (1927-31 and 1952-58), created the policy or “carabineros” from Chile.

Radical Governments (1938-1952) Pedro Aguirre Cerda Juan Antonio Ríos Gabriel González Videla

Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez (1958-64), heading a Conservative-Liberal coalition, favoring free enterprise and the encouragement of foreign investment.

Eduardo Frei Montalva (1964-70), Christian Democratic Party. Develop agrarian reform.

… BUT A DICTATORSHIP CHANGED OUR COUNTRY

1973-1989

Political situation in Chile during 1960´s and the early

of 1970´s

Government of Popular Unity

• Salvador Allende was elected in 1970.He based his campaign on a platform that promised full nationalization of all basic industries, banks, and communications.

• He received about 37 percent of the votes, and Congress backed him overwhelmingly against his opponent for the Conservative Right.

• Allende became the first president elected on a Marxist-Leninist program in a non-Communist country of the western hemisphere.

The Government of 1,000 days•Allende quickly began to implement his campaign promises and turning the country toward socialism.

• State control of the economy was instituted. Mineral resources, foreign banks, and monopolistic enterprises were nationalized and land reform accelerated.

• By 1972, the result was seen in severe economic problems and a sharply polarized citizenship.

• The situation grew still more critical in 1973, when skyrocketing prices, food shortages, strikes, and political violence brought Chile to the brink of chaos.

• The climax came on September 11, 1973, when military forces seized power. President Allende committed suicide.

Augusto Pinochet Ugarte

Hero?Evildoer?

Achievement of

Military Goverment• Established a economic policy of free market and opened the economy to commerce with other countries .

• Economically and with austere control, the new government slashed inflation and stimulated production between 1977 and 1981.

• Development of agriculture and forestry industry for exportation.

• A new constitution (1980), accepted by a referendum, legalized the regimen.

• Avoiding a war with Argentina in 1978, by signing a treaty that ratified Chile's claim to three islands in the Beagle Channel.

• He passed the power to democratic force that won election in 1988.

Establish a Pension System which refered to old-age, disability and survivor pensions for workers, which is the first comprehensive retirement and welfare system managed entirely by the private sector.

Develop of a Health System based in private insurance companies (Institute of Public Health and Preventive Medicine-Isapre). People enroll by asking their employers to direct their health deduction to these companies, and they pay an additional premium depending on the specific insurance policy.

Create a Central Bank autonomous state organ. This measure insulated the Central Bank from political pressures to ensure that monetary policies were followed. Today, the Central Bank is governed by the five-member Central Bank Council appointed by the president, with the consent of the Senate, on a staggered basis.

Established a new Labor Plan that placed stringent limits on collective bargaining, strikes, and other union activities, especially any participation in politics.

Develop a education system based in a long-standing voucher plan that include fully subsidized, deregulated private schools competing head-on for pupils with deregulated municipality-run public schools.

Descentralized the universitary system creating separate universities in the regional provincial campuses of the traditional universities that formed the old system.

Fostered the formation of new private universities and professional institutes, allowing them to set tuition at whatever level they wished and to give a direct per-student subsidies, as well as funds for loans to low-income students.

These changes increased the number and variety of higher education institutions, but the reforms also led to much greater disparities among them, as well as to a likely decline in the overall quality of the nation's higher education system.

Mistakes of

Military Goverment

• The military junta suspended the constitution, dissolved Congress, imposed strict censorship, and banned all political parties.

• Established a campaign of terror against leftist elements in the country. 3,000 people are known to have been killed or simply disappeared, 27,000 were incarcerated and in a great many cases torturated and exiled.

• In 1976 Chilean opposition leader Orlando Letelier and his U.S. secretary were killed by a car bomb in Washington, D.C.

• Pinochet is accused of stealing millions of dollar of fiscal money.

The Democratic Future of a Nation

When nearly 55 percent of the electorate voted no, Pinochet ended with 16 years of his mandate.

1989. voters chose Patricio Aylwin, who initiated modest economic reforms and was appointed to investigate human rights violations by the Pinochet regime.1994. Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle was elected president. He ordered the continuation of the country's movement toward civilian-controlled politics.2000. Ricardo Lagos became Chile's first Socialist president since Allende.2006. Chileans elected the first women president in the history of the country, Michelle Bachelet

On January 17, 2010 was elected Sebastian Piñera Echeñique as President of Chile.

First time a conservative was elected president in 50 years.

Wealthy businessman and economist.

In 1961 JFK initiated the Alliance for Progress to establish economic cooperation between North and South America.

1946 is created the School of the Americas (SOA) by the US Department of Defense in Panama. The SOA trained more than 61,000 Latin American soldiers and policemen. A number of them became notorious for humans rights violations, including general Pinochet and DINA members.

USA government supported adversaries of Allende and military coup in Chile in 1973 through the CIA.

USA government gave economic support to Pinochet government .

In 1976 Chilean opposition leader Orlando Letelier and his U.S. secretary were killed by a car bomb in Washington, D.C..

Senator E. Kennedy purposed an amendment in 1976 which forbids to buy and sell arms to the Chilean government.

In 1989 Chilean grapes were found poisoned with cyanide in Philadelphia port. Exportation of Chilean fruit are stopped during harvesting season.

In 1988, USA and UK pressure Pinochet government to recognize the results of the plebiscite election to establish democracy.

In 1997 Bill Clinton visited Chile.

In 2003 a trade agreement of free commerce between USA and Chile is signed.

Formal country, dress well, show good manners. Show your best in the first meeting (First

impression key in Chile). Hierarchical Culture, always look for the highest

level (use social network). Respect and Praise your counterparts (Make them

feel valued and show some knowledge about the company or Chile).

Write down all agreements and sign them (at least), since oral agreements do not have legal force.

Do not talk about politics at less you know the political affiliation of your counterpart.

Relation between Chile-Peru and Chile-Bolivia are very sensitive topics, so avoid them.

Chile is a legal country, so make sure you follow all the formalities that the law requires.