Economy of Chile, Its People, Culture & Flag

The population of Chile is made up of Mestizos, persons of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry, who make up for 93 percent of the current population. Only 3 percent consists of pure Native American, mainly Araucanians who are concentrated in the southern region; and the other 2 percent of the population is made up of unmixed European race. Most of the population lives in urban centers, and more than one-third of the people live in the capital city of Santiago. Communities both in the south and in the northern desert are generally isolated and separated by vast, virtually unpopulated stretches.

The country of Chile has two lively and contrasting cultures: the cosmopolitan culture of the affluent urban population, and the popular culture of the peasants, which is mainly Spanish but contains traces of Araucanian heritage. The culture of peasants is heavily reflected in their music and dance. The country also has a flourishing literary tradition and has produced two Nobel Prize winners in literature, Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda, both poets.

The flag of Chile has two equal horizontal bands of white, at the top and red. There is a blue square, the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band. The square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor. The blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled to achieve independence. This design was influenced by the US flag.
Please click here to view the Flag of Chile

Chile is one of the leading industrial nations in Latin America as well as one of its largest mineral producers and is also known for its fruit and wine production. Since the early 20th century, production of copper has dominated the Chilean economy. In the beginning of 1940s, the government worked to diversify the economy, rapidly expanding the industrial sector. But after the military coup in 1973, the government played a less prominent role in the economy. It also made efforts to improve the neglected agricultural sector and to reduce the country's dependence on imported food. In 2000 the national budget had $16.7 billion in revenues and $16.5 billion in expenditures. Chile's estimated gross domestic product (GDP) in 2001 was $66.5 billion.