Flag of Chile
Chile Flag Meaning
The flag was adopted on October 18, 1817. The red in the flag stands for the blood spilled to achieve independence, the blue is a symbol of the sky and the Pacific Ocean and the star stands for the future and unity.
The flag was created in the early 19th century during the Chilean freedom struggle. During the country’s first independent period between 1810 – 1814 and from 1812 a tricolor was used in the colors blue, white and red. Chile again became a Spanish colony in 1814, but broke free and became independent in 1817. The old Chilean flag, from their first period of independence, was then abolished too much like the Dutch flag.
Chile Overview
| Population | 15.2 million |
| Currency | Chilean pesos |
| Area | 756,950 km2 |
| Capital city | Santiago |
| Population density | 20.0 residents/km2 |
| HDI location | 45 |
Chile is sandwiched between the Andean chain in the east and the Pacific in the west. Its widest location is 402 km, while from north to south it is 3,500 km long. It is this length in particular that explains the great variation in climate and landscape. Due. the cold ocean current in the Pacific Ocean is the northern part of the desert desert, and that is where the most important copper and salt terminals are found. The central region is temperate, suitable for agriculture, and 65% of the population is concentrated. The southern part of the country is cooler and covered with forests. During the military dictatorship, 40,000 hectares of indigenous forest were felled annually, which meant the eradication of the local fauna. The air pollution in the capital Santiago, several times a year, exceeds the level of what is harmful to human health.
The People: The Chilean people are predominantly the mestizer. A result of the mix of the indigenous population and European immigrants. There are also Mapuche communities with a total population of approx. 300,000.
Religion: Predominantly Catholic (70%), Protestant (15%), atheist or agnostic (8%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (1%), Seventh-day Adventists (1%), others (5%).
Languages: Spanish (official), mapudungun (the language of the Mapuches), rapa nui and a number of other minority languages.
Political parties: Concertación Democrática (Democratic Alliance), consisting of: Partido Demócrata Cristiano (PDC, Christian Democrats), Partido por la Democracia (PPD, Party of Democracy), Partido Socialista (PS, Socialist Party) and Partido Radical (PR, The Radical Party). Renovación Nacional (RN, National Renewal); Unión Democrática Independiente (UDI, Independent Democratic Union); Union de Centro Centro (UCC, Centers Center Unions); Partido Nacional (PN, National Party); Partido Comunista de Chile (PCCh, Communist Party); Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria (MIR, the Revolutionary Left Movement); Movimiento Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez (MPMR, The Patriotic Movement Manuel Rodríguez); Partido Humanista (PH, Humanists); The Greens.
Social organizations: Central Unica de Trabajadores (CUT, the National Organization) – since 1993 the most important national organization. It was banned during the military dictatorship and was only allowed again in 1990. Other important trade unions are: Confederación de Trabajadores del Cobre (CTC, Copper Workers’ Union) led by Rodolfo Seguel; Confederación de Empleados Públicos de Chile (CEPCH, Federated of Public Employees in Chile) led by Federico Mujica; Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos (Association of Public Servants in Chile); Frente Unido de Trabajadores (FUT, Workers’ Unity Front); Consejo Nacional Sindical (CNS) Federación Nacional de Taximetristas (FNT, Taxi drivers National Federation); El Surco, as well as other associations of farmers and agricultural workers. The country’s great mapuche minotity is organized into a number of different organizations: Grupo de Acción por el Bio Bío (GABB); Inter-Regional Mapuche Council (CIM); Organización Mapuche Ad-Mapu.
Official name: República de Chile
Administrative division: 12 regions and the metropolitan area
Capital: Santiago, $ 7,200,000 (2009)
Other important cities: Concepción, 963,800 residents; Valparaiso, 888,300 residents; Viña del Mar, 356,800 residents; Temuco, 280,200 residents (2000).
Government: Sebastián Piñera, President since March 2018. Two-chamber system with 43 senators and 155 deputies. Parliament is not in Santiago but in Valparaíso.
National Day: September 18 (Independence Day, 1810)
Armed forces: 78,000 soldiers, 50,000 in reserve (2003)
Paramilitary forces: 31,000 (Carabineros, police force)