What do you know about Chile? What’s Chile famous for and what can you see if you go there? You’ll learn about Chile in this episode and improve your listening comprehension.

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Email from Franco from Chile
Hi Guys! I am Franco from Chile. First of all, I would like to thank you for all the efforts you have made so far. This podcast has been so useful to me, I could not thank you enough!. I also would like to ask for something. So far you’ve talked about many South American countries except for Chile. How can be possible you left this beautiful Country behind? Please give it a go and you won’t regret it!

How can (it) be possible
‘Give it a go’

Chile
Chile has the Andes to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West. It borders Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The capital is Santiago and the population is about 17.5 million.
A person who comes from Chile is called a Chilean.

The flag: Even though they look very similar, the flag of Chile is 21 years older than the flag of Texas in the US, which uses a similar color scheme. But the star on the Chilean flag is inside a square, whereas the Texan star is inside a larger rectangle. On the Chilean flag, the colors and symbols symbolize:
blue – the sky and the Pacific Ocean; white – the snow of the Andes Mountains; the star – guidance and progress; and red – the blood spilled in the fight for independence.

Chile has the world’s biggest swimming pool. It cost nearly $1 billion and costs $2 billion per year to maintain.
1000 yards long (over 900 metres) and holds 249837177 litres of water. 35 metres deep. In Algarrobo city on the Pacific coast.

Chile has around 500 active volcanoes.
Among the better-known Chilean volcanoes are Cerro Arul and Cerro Hudson. 60 Chilean volcanoes have erupted in the last 450 years.

The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. Some parts have never had a drop of rain. It’s also probably the oldest desert.
Scientists have used the Atacama to test Mars rovers. The conditions in the Atacama are believed to be similar to those found on Mars.

Chile also has a particularly low divorce rate, and divorce was only made legal in 2005.

Easter Island, in the Pacific, was annexed by Chile in 1888 and completely opened to tourism in 1966. Its native name is Rapa Nui. It has more than 7 km of subterranean tunnels.
It has 867 monumental statues called moai, created by inhabitants during the 13th–16th centuries. The moai are carved human figures with oversize heads.

Chile is the second-longest country (north to south) in the world (4,270 km). Only Brazil is longer (95 kilometers longer). Chile is only 150 km wide. If you put Holland, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on top of each other lengthwise, from north to south, they would all fit inside Chile. That’s how long it is: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DxMVlAkX4AADYrg.jpg So, on a world map it certainly looks like the thinnest country on earth!

Chile has the southernmost town in the world, Puerto Williams, although some people argue that since Puerto Williams is on an island and not the mainland, Ushuaia, Argentina should hold the title of southernmost town.

Famous Chileans include:
Pablo Neruda – poet
Isabel Allende – writer
Gabriela Mistral – poet and diplomat
Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme – independence leader and a founding father of Chile
Augusto Pinochet was dictator of Chile from 1974 – 1990 after a US-backed coup which removed Salvador Allende. Both born in Valparaíso.
Alexis Sánchez Sánchez is a Chilean footballer who played for La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Chile national team. He’s currently at Inter Milan on loan from Manchester United.
Nicole Polizzi, actor. Best known for the MTV reality show Jersey Shore and currently stars in Snooki & JWoww. She’s one of the highest-paid reality stars and earns $150,000 per episode.

…and now it’s your turn to practise your English.
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On next week’s episode: Beyond the English Language

The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’