Chile is a land of extremes where you can climb soaring peaks and enjoy rushing rivers
Chile’s geography is unique. Long and narrow, it stretches the farthest south in the world, hemmed in by mountains on one side and on the other by the Pacific. It is a long, tapered stretch of land in the south west of Latin America. Its geography extends from the Antarctic in the extreme south to the Atacama Desert in the north, the most arid in the world.
Chile is a young nation with a firm eye on the future as well as a strong history — bearing the footprint of the continent’s earliest inhabitants who lived here more than 12,500 years previously. The history of Chile is generally divided in twelve periods, the first of which begins with the initial inhabitants of the territory that today forms this vast country.
Indigenous cultures of Chile blended with European (especially Spanish) cultures make up the present Chilean culture. Within the country, there is considerable diversity between the North and South of the nation with distinct dance, music, and art forms. Various indigenous groups and immigrant populations settling in the country have contributed to the evolution of the culture of Chile.
Chile stretches from the belly of South America to its foot, reaching from the driest desert on earth to vast southern glacial fields. Diverse landscapes unfurl over a 4300km stretch: parched dunes, fertile valleys, volcanoes, ancient forests, massive glaciers and fjords. There's wonder in every detail and nature on a symphonic scale.
