Immigration to Chile

Immigration to Chile has contributed to the demographics and the history of this South American nation. Chile is a country whose inhabitants are mainly of Iberian, mostly of Andalusian and Basque origin,[1] and Native American, mostly descended from Mapuche peoples.[2] A moderate numbers of European immigrants settled in Chile during the 19th and 20th centuries, mainly Spanish, as well as Germans, British, French, Southern Slavs, and Italians who have made additional contributions to the racial complex of Chile.[2] However, this immigration was never in a large scale, contrasting with mass migrations that characterized Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil, and therefore, anthropologically, its impact with lesser consequence.[2] At the same time, some separate cultural aspects, such as German cakes, British afternoon tea, and Italian pasta, were preserved. The fusion is also visible in the architecture of Chilean cities. This intermarriage and mixture of cultures and races have shaped the present society and culture of Chile.

Most of the immigrants to Chile during the 19th and 20th centuries came from abroad. Settlers from Europe came from France,[3] Great Britain,[4] Italy,[3] Germany,[5] and Croatia,[6] among others. Although significant numbers of Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese also arrived.[7] Today, most immigrants come from other American countries. The largest immigrant group comes from Venezuela, followed by Peru, Haiti, Colombia and most recently Nicaragua.[8] One of the main factors that has driven this migration has been the country's relatively stable political history, compared with the rest of Latin America and the significant growth of the Chilean economy in recent decades.[9]

  1. ^ Pedro Oyanguren (2000): De los vascos en Chile y sus instituciones. Centro Vasco Euzko Etxea. Vasco Euskonews & Media, año 2000. Consultado el 20 de diciembre de 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Federico Guillermo Gil (1969). El Sistema político de Chile (in Spanish). Santiago de Chile: Editorial Andrés Bello. pp. 32–33.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Parvex, 2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Jorge Sanhueza Aviléz. "Historia de Chile: Otros Artículos. Británicos y Anglosajones en Chile durante el siglo XIX". Biografía de Chile. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Alemanes, 500.000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Croatas, 400.000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Oriente próximo, 800.000, Palestinos, 500.000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference INE-DEM, 2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Woods, David (2016). Valparaiso Bound!. Libreria Editorial Ricaaventura. pp. 190–212. ISBN 978-956-8449-20-9.