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Chilé, located on the southwest coast of South America, has a population of 19.6 million. An overwhelming 99.3% of that population speak Spanish, divided into three subcategories, Chilean Spanish, Andean Spanish, and Chilean Catalan. Around 4.58% of the population speak all other languages, with there being a law that protects the native dialects found throughout Chilé. This includes; Mapuche/Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua/Runasimi, and Rapa Nui/Rapanui. The capitol of Chilé is Santiago, and their currency is the Chilean peso. The general understanding for the meaning behind Chilé's flag is the white represents the Andes Mountains, the blue represents the sea that neighbors the country, the red represents the blood of those who fought for independence from the Spanish, and the lone star represents one unified state of Chilé.

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On May 25th, 2024, two arrests were made, a firefighter and a forestry official, with the accusation that they were the ones responsible for a massive fire in February, the second deadliest fire this century. On-scene detectives reconstructed the scene, and found exactly what materials were used, where the fires were lit, and how they timed it with dry and windy weather to increase the spread of the blaze. The forestry official was suspected to be the mastermind behind the fire, while the firefighter was he one who set it off. It was found that there were four smaller blazes equidistant from each other that grew due to the hot and windy climate of that day, into the huge inferno that took over 120 lives. Detectives were also able to locate materials used to start the fire, and later linked similar materials in the homes of the suspects. It soon became clear that this was an intentional attack, but the motive remains unknown.

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Many Chilean families are very closely knitted, both with immediate family, extended family, and even family-friends. This closeness creates a very strong support system, getting them through many hardships. They stay in touch through family gatherings such as weddings, birthdays, and holidays. It's expected that a member of the family always consults the others about any major milestone of their life such as college, a job application, marriage, and more. It is always the expectation that the individuals makes choices for the whole family rather than themselves.

Fiestas Patrias, Chile's independence celebration, spans an entire week in September to celebrate the end of Spanish rule. This festival fills the streets with parades, food stalls selling empanadas and anticuchos, and decorations in the colors of their flag. Kids fly kites, people dance, and most notably, the cueca dance. Men dress in their huaso and women in dresses with white handkerchiefs to reenact a courting ritual. Other notable holidays include; Grape Harvest Festival, Fiesta de la Tirana, New Years and Chilean New Years, and much more.

There are a wide array of traditional foods, some of which include; Ajiaco, Arrollado huaso, Carbonada, Cadillo de Congrio, chapalele, sopaipillas, and much much more. Many common ingredients are potatoes, quinoa, barley, corn, beans, grilled meats like beef, pork, and sometimes llama.

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Valley of the Moon, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

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There is a plethora of unique tourist attractions in Chile including; stargazing in Pedro de Atacama, visiting the Valley of the Moon, hiking at Torres del Paine, visiting the geysers of Atacama, visiting the Moai statues of Rapa Nui, surfing at Pichilemu, visiting the glaciers of Patagonia, hiking Cochamo, meeting Chilean penguins, visiting Lauca National Park, skiing down volcanoes, visiting marble caves, and many more places and cites. If I were to go to Chile, I would go see penguins, the marble caves, the Valley of the Moon, and all sorts of hiking trails. Chile has a very unique landscape, flora, and fauna due to it's location on the Andes mountains, and it would be amazing to see it one day.

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The main focus of food in Chile are stews, bread, smoked meats, and seafood. Empanadas are a traditional food from the time of Spanish rule, and have some unique fillings like raisins, olives, boiled eggs, onions, and beef. Cazuela is the national dish of Chile, containing batata, calabasa, raisins, eggs, butter, coconut milk, and bread. Another popular dish is Pastel de choclo, a corn casserole filled with ground meat and onions. There are countless other dishes that contain all sorts of meats, fish, vegetables, grain, and broth that can't all be listed here, but the general opinion on Chilean food seems very mixed. On one hand, people compliment the smoked meats, spices, and uniqueness Chile has, but on the other hand, people complain that it's plain or has an awful texture. I'm a pretty picky person, so I definitely won't enjoy the seafood, and the only meats I tolerate are chicken and sometimes beef. I'm weirdly sensitive to a lot of spices, so if the food isn't plain but spicy like some people say, I will not have a fun time. I guess the best place to start would be the national dish itself.

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The cueca is the national dance of Chile, and is considered the most well-known and traditional dance and song. The dance is thought to have origins from Spanish and Indigenous cultures. The music is compound meter of 6/8 or 3/4 played by all sorts of instruments such as sicus, zamponas, trumpets, tubas, guitars, guitarrons, accordion, percussions, and a singer. The dance itself is a man and a woman dancing around each other with the man attempting to court the woman, but the woman remains dismissive and defensive. For day-to-day music, people most commonly listen to Chilean cumbia. The most notable artists are Mon Laferte, Alex Anwandter, Ana Tijoux, Victor Jara, Violeta, Parra, Alfredo Jaar, and many many more. Personally, while I do think Chilean songs are very lively and sound nice, I don't think I would seek them out and listen to them on my own.

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Futbol is by far the most popular sport in Chile. Despite the national sport being Rodeo, Futbol is loved by millions. Their team is part of FIFA, and has played in eight world cups. They've received a silver and several bronzes in the finals of Copa, and new players on the team have been steadily making a name for themselves. Chile has also been successful in Tennis, winning several Olympic medals and the World Team cup twice. Rodeo, the national sport of Chile, consists of two team members attempting to pin a calf against a padded wall. The points are based on how well the cow is pinned, and the techniques used to herd and trap it. Rodeo was declared a sport in the 1960's, and has become a staple in Chilean culture.

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My favorite thing about Chile byfar is the landscape itself. The Andes Mountain Range is one of the most beautiful ranges in the world and I would love to visit it some day. I also want to see penguins and Chile has penguins, 10/10. Other than that, I didn't really vibe with a lot. The food is strange and a lot of the dishes are meat based, which is hard for me to eat becase of some weird texture issue I have, and I have zero interest in sports, which seem to be an important part of relationships and bonding there. I didn't even know rodeo was a sport. The music and culture cool, but nothing in paticular really stands out. Compared to the U.S., There's probably just as many simliarities as differences. Both are big on a particular sport, but one is futbol and the other is football. Chile has mountains and beaches, and the U.S. has that and more. The one thing i'm not sure is true in the U.S. is family structure. In Chile, family can be very extended, even frends of parents being introduced as uncles and aunts to their kids. This is the type of family structure I'm used to (I legit think theres like 200 of us), but from what I know of from my friends, that's not actually common in the U.S.