How Did Chile's Geography Influence the Country



Chile is located on the Western coast of South America.



• Atacama Desert is located in the Northern part of Chile.
• Chile is located on the Nazca plate, making it prone to earthquakes.
• Easter Island is off the coast of Chile.
• Eastern Chile is bordered by the Andes Mountain Range.

The physical features of Chile influence several parts of their culture. Firstly, because they are mostly isolated from other South American countries, they developed a homogeneous culture. Also, because Chile is so long and narrow, each reigion of the country has a different climate. This makes the Chilean government unique because there are 12 districts within the country, and the capitol, Santiago, is in the center.

The Spanish Invasions (1535-1818)

The indigenous Araucanians that occupied Chile successfully held of the first Spanish invasion in 1535. Then in 1541, Pedro de Valdivia of Spain invaded Chile and established Santiago.

(Pedro de Valdivia)

In 1553, he was captured and killed by the Araucanians.
Chile claimed its independence from Spain after Napoleon overthrew the king of Spain in 1810.

(Napoleon)

Spain regained control of Chile in 1814.
 In 1818, Chile became independent with Bernardo O'Higgins as their leader.

(Bernardo O'Higgins)