Legend of Chile’s Origin

One of Chile’s legends is how the country was created by the hand of God:

In the beginning of time, God created the wonders of the world. When he was finished, he saw that he had many leftover pieces. He had parts of rivers and valleys, of oceans and lakes, of glaciers and deserts, of mountains and forests, and of meadows and hills. Rather than let such beauty go to waste, God put them all together and cast them to the most remote corner of the Earth. This is how Chile was born.

The diversity of Chile’s geography and climates attest to the validity of this legend. Where else can you find both the driest desert on earth and huge ice glaciers? Chile is a land of contrasts and beauties found no where else on Earth.

In reference to the legend’s “remote corner of the earth” statement, many Chileans today refer to Chile as the “end of the world.”

In fact, a large part of Chile is found farther south than Australia or even South Africa which share the southern reaches of the globe’s Southern Hemisphere.

If you’re curious, Chile’s name also has an interesting origin.

Posted June 3rd, 2009 in Culture, History.

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