Chile

Chile is a republic. The current constitution was adopted in 1980; in a rather unique occurence, the constitution was approved by a national referendum. The first two decades afterward were a period of transition to democracy from the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. Since the turn of the new millennium, the democratic process has been much stronger.

Until the most recent election, Chilean elections were based around a system known as binomialism. This system was designed to create a stable government from election to election. In effect binomialism meant that unless the most popular party was more than twice as popular as the next most popular party, each district of the country would elect one representative from each of the two biggest political parties. Critics claimed that this was an undemocratic feature of the government that made it harder for small parties to gain seats, and didn't reflect the opinions of the general public. For the 2017 general election, the binomial system was abandoned.

Chile is one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations. It has been relatively free of the coups and arbitrary governments that have blighted the continent. Chile is a multi-ethnic society, including people of European and Indian ancestry. Class differences are first of all expressed in the strong spatial segregation existing in large Chilean cities. Upper, middle, and lower classes live largely isolated from each other in quite distinctive neighborhoods and city sectors. Also, primary and secondary schools express social stratification. Chileans automatically categorize a person socially based only on the comuna (municipal division within the city) where the person lives and the name of the school he or she has attended.

Speech is another important marker of social stratification. Upper-class Chileans exaggerate their particular way of speaking to indicate their social predominance. On the other end of the social ladder, lower-class Chileans speak in a very idiosyncratic way. Chileans are so speech-conscious that even the slightest difference in pronunciation of some consonants immediately "betrays" social background.

In the arts world, Chile is known for its incredible literary tradition. Some of the world’s most widely acclaimed poets come from Chile, including Nobel Prize winners Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda; the poetry scene in Chile is also a major venue for Mapuche artists, who often work in both Mapudungun and Spanish. Chilean novelists have achieved global success. Authors Roberto Bolaño and José Donoso are literary darlings. Isabel Allende (cousin to the late President Salvador Allende) is perhaps the most popular Spanish-language writer in the world, even above literary titans like Marquez and Borges. Allende was honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

Chile is also relatively well-known for its music, as one of the most prominent nations during the Nueva Canción movement. Chilean bands reached particular importance during the presidency of Salvador Allende, as part of his broader cultural policies of bringing art and culture to all levels of Chilean society.

Torres Del Paine National Park

One of Chile's most important natural areas and an increasingly popular travel destination is the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park. Situated more than 100 kilometers north of the city of Puerto Natales in southern Patagonia, this stunningly beautiful area encompasses mountains, glaciers, and countless lakes and rivers.

The most important region of the park is the Cordillera del Paine, an area that marks the transition from the Patagonia steppe to the subpolar forests of the north. Perhaps the most notable of its many wonderful features are the three 2,850-meter-tall granite peaks of the Paine Massif, which dominate this already breathtaking scenery.

Hiking is one of the park's most popular activities, with numerous well-marked trails, many offering overnight shelters (refugios) with the basics needed for longer treks that circle the mountains. If you're planning on anything more than a day's hiking, professional guides are recommended and, in some areas, mandatory.