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Culture
Culture
During the period between early agricultural settlements and to the late pre-Hispanic period, northern Chile was a region of Andean culture that was influenced by altiplano traditions spreading to the coastal valleys of the north.
While the central and southern regions were areas of Mapuche cultural activities.
Through the colonial period following the conquest, and during the early Republican period, the country's culture was dominated by the Spanish.
Other European influences, primarily English, French, and German began in the 19th century and have continued to this day.
German migrants influenced the Bavarian style rural architecture and cuisine in the south of Chile in cities such as Valdivia and Puerto Montt.
Music and dance
Music in Chile ranges from folkloric music , popular music and also to classical music.
Its large geography generates different musical expressions in the north, center and south of the country, including also Easter Island and Mapuche music .
The national dance is the cueca.
Another form of traditional Chilean song, though not a dance, is the tonada.
Arising from music imported by the Spanish colonists, it is distinguished from the cueca by an intermediate melodic section and a more prominent melody.
Between 1950 and 1970 appears a rebirth in folk music leading by groups such as Los de Ramon and Los Huasos Quincheros among others with composers such as Raul de Ramon, Violeta Parra, Nicanor Molinare and others .
In the mid-1960s native musical forms were revitalized by the Parra family with the Nueva Canción Chilena, which was associated with political activists and reformers such as Victor Jara, and by the folk singer and researcher on folklore and Chilean ethnography, Margot Loyola.
Literature
Chileans call their country país de poetas—country of poets.Gabriela Mistral was the first Chilean to win a Nobel Prize for Literature (1945).
Chile's most famous poet, however, is Pablo Neruda, who also won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1971) and is world-renowned for his extensive library of works on romance, nature, and politics.
His three highly individualistic homes, located in Isla Negra, Santiago and Valparaíso are popular tourist destinations.
Cuisine
Chilean cuisine is a reflection of the country's topographical variety, featuring an assortment of seafood, beef, fruits, and vegetables.
Traditional recipes include cazuela, empanadas, humitas, and curanto.
Sports
Chile's most popular sport is association football (soccer).
Chile has appeared in seven FIFA World Cups which includes hosting the 1962 FIFA World Cup where the national football team finished third.
Other results achieved by the national football team include four finals at the Copa América, one silver and two bronze medals at the Pan American Games, a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics and two third places finishes in the FIFA under-17 and under-20 youth tournaments.
The main soccer clubs are Colo-Colo, CF Universidad de Chile and CD Universidad Católica.
Colo-Colo is the country's most successful club, winning 41 national tournaments and three international championships, including the coveted Copa Libertadores South American club tournament.
Tennis is the country's most successful sport.
Its national team won the World Team Cup clay tournament twice in 2003-04, and played the Davis Cup final against Italy in 1976.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics the country captured gold and bronze in men's singles and gold in men's doubles.
Marcelo Ríos became the first Latin American man to reach the number one spot in the ATP singles rankings in 1998.
Anita Lizana won the US Open in 1937, becoming the first women from Latin America to win a grand slam tournament.
Luis Ayala was twice a runner-up at the French Open and both Ríos and Fernando González reached the Australian Open men's singles finals.
At the Olympic Games Chile boasts two gold medals (tennis), seven silver medals (athletics, equestrian, boxing, shooting and tennis) and four bronze medals (tennis, boxing and football).
Rodeo is the country's national sport and is practiced in the more rural areas of the country.
A sport similar to hockey called chueca was played by the Mapuche people during the Spanish conquest.
Skiing and snowboarding are practiced at ski centers located in the Central Andes, while surfing is popular at some coastal towns.
Polo is professionally practiced within Chile and in 2008 Chile achieved top prize in the World Polo Championship a tournament where the country has earned both second and third places medals in previous editions.
Popular among Chileans is basketball a sport in which the Andean country has earned a bronze medal in the first men's FIBA World Championship held in 1950 and winning a second bronze medal when Chile hosted the 1959 FIBA World Championship.
Chile hosted the first FIBA World Championship for Women in 1953 finishing the tournament with the silver medal.
Source: CIA Factbook, Wikipedia
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