Breathtaking cityscape in Chile.
Time zones
Because of the distance between the mainland and Easter Island, Chile uses 4 different UTC offsets:
* The mainland uses UTC-4, and in summer as daylight saving time UTC-3.
* Easter Island uses UTC-6, and in summer as daylight saving time UTC-5.
Culture
Northern Chile was an important center of culture in the medieval and early modern Inca empire, 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 and French, began in the 19th century and have continued until today 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. 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, and by the folk singer and researcher on folklore and Chilean ethnography, Margot Loyola. Chileans call their country país de poetas—land 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 (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.
Lamas Grazing
Language
The Spanish spoken in Chile is notoriously difficult for foreigners to understand due to the dropping of final syllables and ‘s’ sounds, the very soft pronunciation of some consonants and the high levels of slang employed, particularly in Santiago and the surrounding areas. Chileans also tend to speak much faster than natives of neighboring countries. These factors all contribute to newly arrived visitors to the country, even proficient Spanish speakers, hearing no more than indecipherable mumbles in early encounters with locals. Books have been written (such as ‘How to survive in the Chilean Jungle’ by John Brennan and Alvaro Taboada) which attempt to detail and explain the difficulties and idiosyncrasies of the Spanish spoken in Chile.
English language learning and teaching is popular among students and higher professions, although with varying degrees of success. Even with intensive preparation, culture shock can take a real toll on communication; many words have been absorbed into everyday speech from English, although may be unrecognizable due to Non-native pronunciations of English and misuse.
Chile's Beaches
Religion
Chile is a traditionally Catholic nation, with an estimated 70% of Chileans belonging to that church. According to Census data other declared denominations or groupings include: Protestant or evangelical (15.1%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (1%), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons) (0.9%), Jewish (0.1%), Atheist or Agnostic (8.3%), and other (4.4%). Less than 0.1% are either Orthodox or Muslim.
