Travel-World Photography
Chile is a country with extreme geographical diversity, from the desert area towards the border with Peru in the North, to the South tip of the South American continent, and with the Andes mountain range being a dominant characteristics. The distance from the North to the South is 4,270 km, and yet it only averages 177 km East to West. The geographical area is 756,096 km2, and the country has a population of about 17.5 million.
The conquest of Chile began in 1540 by Pedro de Valdivia and Francisco Pizarro, who founded the city of Santiago in 1541.A massive Mapuche insurrection that began in 1553 resulted in Valdivia's death and the destruction of many of the colony's principal settlements.
Spain colonized the region in the mid-16th century, replacing Inca rule, but failed to conquer the independent Mapuche people who inhabited what is now south-central Chile. In 1818 the country declared independence from Spain. However, many Spanish traces remain today.
The major city is Santiago, and with Valparaiso as the key harbor.
Here are links to other places down the coast of Chile, found in the
South American Cruise section:
Chile was our first stop on our three country travel . next were Argentina and Brazil. Below is a selction of the guidebook and maps we used.
