Introduction
Chile is a country about the size of Texas, but stretches out as long as the US is wide. The country is located west of Argentina and Bolivia, and south of Peru. Chile is home to the second tallest mountain in the Americas along with one of the largest deserts in the world. The Spanish government controlled Chile until 1810 when the natives overthrew them. Dictatorship ruled Chile for around twenty years until 1990 when democracy established itself. Chile is a country of diverse landscape, democracy, and a stable economy.
History
Chile was first explored by Europeans in 1493. There was spanish rule until 1810 when Chile gained independence. There was a civil war from 1823 to 1830. The conservatives, who were fighting for a religious and centralised system ended up winning the war. There was then a dictator for the next few years. Chile expanded by winning the Atacama desert from Peru and Bolivia and also claimed other regions. Chile was stable for 30 years until World War One when the economy dropped. After World War Two there was a ten year development plan put in place by the government which was stopped by a tsunami and an earthquake. There was then a dictator from 1973 to 1990 when democracy was formed. Michelle Bachelet became Chile’s first female president in 2006 and is the president today.