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South America and South Atlantic Islands
Chile |
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Country information
History
Key dates
Chilean territory was among the last to be populated in Latin America. Prehispanic Chile was home to over a dozen different groups of indigenous people. The 3 main cultural groups were Incan, Mapuche and Patagonian.
1520 – Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan lands at Chiloé Island. The region is known then to its native population as Tchili.
1536-37 – the beginning of the Spanish conquest of what is now Chile, when forces under the conquistador Diego de Almagro invaded from Peru.
12 February 1541 – Pedro de Valdivia founded the city of Santiago.
18 September 1810 – the first move towards independence was made when an open town meeting in Santiago decided to accept the resignation of the Spanish-appointed Governor and replace him with an oligarchy of locally elected leaders. 18 September is now officially celebrated as Chilean National Day.
1-2 October 1814 – a Royalist (pro-Spanish) army defeated the local leaders at the Battle of Rancagua, which enabled Spain to reassert control over the colony.
12 February 1817 – Independence forces defeated a Royalist army at the Battle of Chacabuco, after which Bernardo O'Higgins was proclaimed the first head of state of an independent Chile.
5 April 1818 – the Royalist forces were decisively defeated at the Battle of Maipú and independence was finally achieved.
1879-83 – War of the Pacific against Peru and Bolivia. Chile gained the coastal region of Bolivia and the Peruvian provinces of Tarapacá and Arica. To this day Bolivia continues to dispute by diplomatic means the loss of its sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean.
11 September 1973 – the government of President Allende was overthrown by a military junta headed by General Augusto Pinochet.
5 October 1988 – a plebiscite was held in which the electorate voted against granting General Pinochet a further 8-year term of office as President.
December 1989 – democratic presidential and legislative elections were held. Patricio Aylwin was elected President for a 4-year term and took office on 11 March 1990.
11 March 2006 - Michelle Bachelet sworn in as President.
10 December 2006 - Former General and President Augusto Pinochet died.
