1. There are several theories about the name, but the most popular one is that it comes from a word, “chilli”, which in the language of the indigenous Mapuche meant “where the land ends”. 2. If you had to chose the only one place to visit in Chile, by all means chose Valparaiso, a beautiful city, full of energy and character, the main port of the country and the place to be if you really want to discover the identity and history of the place. Since 2003 Valparaiso has been an Unesco World Heritage Site, one more reason to visit it.
3. When you think about mummies you think about Ancient Egypt, but the oldest mummies ever discovered can be found at the Chilean Museu Arqueologico in San Miguel de Azapa, and there are almost 300. And the real shocking fact is that they date from about 7200 B.C.
4. Are you passionate about UFOs? Maybe you are a huge fan of science fiction movies and series, and believe that all so-called conspiracies are true. Then you could come to Chile, for how many countries in the whole world have an UFO research organization that is officially supported by the government? Not many, that's for sure.
5. Chile is one of the most important and respected wine producers and exporters, and viticulture has a rich, several centuries old history. So it is no wonder that the wines from Chile are loved and respected by experts and the general public alike. Chile is the 5th world wide exporter when it comes to wines.
6. The famous gigantic statues from the Easter Island have fascinated researchers and history fans for ages – and still nobody knows for sure their whole story – but did you know that the place, located about 3700 km west of Chile, is officially part of it. Yes, the Easter Island belongs to Chile. What about the moai statues then?
7. Here in Chile you can also find the Atacama Desert, which is considered to be the dries desert in the whole world. And it is not just a clever catch-phrase imagined by some imaginative writer, but the very truth, so this isn't a place for those of us who don't have a real adventurous spirit. But if you want to learn more about ancient civilizations you must know that in the Atacama Desert you will also find those huge drawings made out of stones called geoglyphs.
8. And a strange piece of information: in Chile divorce was legalized only in 2005. And still the country has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world. 9. Interested in architectural wonders? Then come to Santiago and see the Gran Torre, the tallest building in South America, with no less that 64 stories. Quite an achievement, mixing both elegant beauty and impressive size, it will surely be hard to forget. Even impossible.
10. You don't have to travel all the way to Antarctica to see penguins, you can enjoy these inteligent and funny creatures in Chile, for example in the southern part of the country, where there is the Seno Otway Penguin Colony.
Photo: goodfreephotos.com, wikipedia.org
