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Villarica volcano in Chile
Chile offers a fascinating variety of landscapes and cultures. The 4500 km (2400 miles)long country is tucked in between the Pacific Ocean and the Majestic Andes mountains. Chile’s treasures are mainly found in the wide beaches, the fertile central valley with its highly touted wineries, the Atacama Desert in the north, and the pristine wilderness of the south with its volcanoes, lakes, forests and fjords.
Santiago de Chile
Chileans, besides, are people of contrasts. Chile’s indigenous legacy has survived the colonial past of Spaniard and Jesuit imprints. The land of 20,000 Aymaras, who still speak their native language, lies in the north. In the south, the Mapuche communities make up around half-million of the population. The Parisien and American education tradition of most Chilean intellectuals have influenced many aspects of Chilean life, art, music, literature, architecture and economy.
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