LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Chile: Northern Chile
built 657 days ago
Northern Chile's monumental landscape is represented by the Atacama Desert, the driest on the planet. Its geography is unique and includes lagoons, volcanos, salt flats, geysers, hot springs, rivers and valleys, together with the Spanish legacy of the XVI century.
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While the main industry of the northern part of Chile is mining related, the southern half has quite extensive agricultural, fish farming and forestry sectors. The central zone concentrates most of the services and industry. The two main ports, Valpara�so and San Antonio, are located at approximately 100 km from Santiago.
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About 10,000 years ago, migrating Indians settled in fertile valleys and along the coast of what is now Chile. The Incas briefly extended their empire into what is now northern Chile, but the area's barrenness prevented extensive settlement. The first Europeans to arrive in Chile were Diego de Almagro and his band of Spanish conquistadors, who came from Peru seeking gold in 1535. The Spanish encountered hundreds of thousands of Indians from various cultures in the area that modern Chile now occupies. These cultures supported themselves principally through slash-and-burn agriculture and hunting. The conquest of Chile began in earnest in 1540 and was carried out by Pedro de Valdivia, one of Francisco Pizarro's lieutenants, who founded the city of Santiago on February 12, 1541.
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While the main industry of the northern part of Chile is mostly mining related, the southern half has quite an extensive agricultural and dairy industry. The Central-zone is dedicated mostly to services and industry, with the main harbor, Valparaiso, Chile... situated in this part of the country.
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This area ... is the cultural and political center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century, when it incorporated its northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests and grazing lands and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border.
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Based in the capital city of Santiago, students take field excursions to sites of local industry, forestry, mining, and nontraditional agricultural export production in northern and southern Chile. Opportunities to meet with union activists, policy analysts, government officials, and community organizers further develop understanding of the social, political, and environmental aspects of Chile’s economic system.
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Northern Chile