Chile is a statelocated in the southwestern part of South America. The length of the country from north to south is about 4 thousand kilometers, while the greatest width is about 200 kilometers. One of the interesting features associated with the number of inhabitants of Chile: the population of the country is characterized by the smallest increase in the territory of the American continent.
Demographic studies show thatDuring the colonial period, according to various sources, from 50 to 75 thousand Europeans arrived in the country. The majority of them were Basque and Spanish. In the middle of the nineteenth century about 20,000 Germans landed here. In the twentieth century, more than 100,000 representatives of Europe immigrated to Chile. The population of the country during its colonization increased by 250 thousand foreigners. This is significantly less, compared with similar indicators of neighboring South American states. Thus, now there is every reason to assert that the local ethnos is predominantly the result of a mixture of Aborigines and Spanish immigrants.
If we talk about the national composition, it is customaryConsider that the population of Chile consists of three main groups. The first is indigenous peoples. They account for about 7% of the total number of residents living in the territory of the state. The most famous aborigines here are Araucans, of which there are more than one million people. The rest of the nations are not so numerous. Moreover, some of them are on the verge of extinction.
The second ethnic group is HispanicChileans, representing the descendants of the first colonizers of the country. Their mixing with the indigenous population led to the fact that currently they account for about 92% of the country's population.
The third group is Europeanimmigrants. As already mentioned above, most of them were Spaniards and Basques. In the early twentieth century, Chile also immigrated to numerous immigrants from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Croatia. As of today, the diaspora of each of these countries has about half a million people.
Not to mention the inhabitants of Easter Island,owned by chile. They are represented mainly by Polynesians. In addition, quite influential communities of Swiss, Jews, Dutch and Greeks live in the territory of the state.
The population of Chile, the number of which astoday it is just over 17 million people, it is customary to divide into three age categories. Young people account for about a quarter of the country's inhabitants, and only 8% for the elderly. The average life expectancy for women is 80 years, while for men it is 73.3 years. As already noted above, the state is characterized by a very low average annual increase in the number of inhabitants, which, since the eighties of the twentieth century, has not risen above the 1.7% mark. At the same time, it is impossible not to mention the significant decline in the recent infant mortality rate.
The rather uneven distribution of residents isanother feature of chile. The country's population is concentrated mainly in the central regions of the state. About 67% of people live in them. If the average population density in the country is 22 people per square kilometer, then in its capital Santiago it reaches 355 citizens. This is the maximum figure for Chile. In the northern regions, on average, there are up to three people per square kilometer, and in the southern ones - no more than one. Aboriginal people live mainly in the south. At the same time, it is impossible not to note the tendency for the gradual migration of Indians to urban areas.
Государственным в стране считается испанский язык.This is not surprising, since for most Chileans it is native. The indigenous population of Chile was able to largely retain many varieties of the dialects of their ancestors. At the same time, the Spanish language is used for teaching in schools, as well as the majority of Aboriginal representatives to communicate with each other.
Most of the locals profess Catholicism.About 70% of all Chilean believers fall to them. About 15% of the locals identify themselves with various Protestant movements (usually Pentecostals). Indians mostly remain faithful to traditions, therefore they profess their religions. It should be noted that the Roman Catholic Church plays an important role not only in social but also in the political life of the country. In particular, it actively participates in the implementation of various reforms in the state.
In general, the state is considered one of the mosturbanized throughout South America. The urban population of Chile accounts for about 86% of the country's population, much of which is concentrated in such two central areas as Santiago and Valparaiso. The largest cities of the country were founded in the colonial era, and therefore the ethnic composition of their inhabitants is not surprising. They are mainly descendants of the Spanish conquerors and local Aborigines. The rural population of the country mainly lives in resorts and in small towns.
Основные занятия населения Чили – это сфера services, industry and agriculture. Each of these industries accounts for 63, 23 and 40 percent of the total number of able-bodied citizens, respectively. As for the level of unemployment in the state, it is at around 8.5%.
