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An anti-government demonstrator stands behind a Chilean flag during protests in Santiago, backlit by the sun
Image: Esteban Felix/AP Photo/picture-allianceImage: Esteban Felix/AP Photo/picture-alliance

Chile

Chile is a mineral-rich country and one of the most prosperous in Latin America. The nation has enjoyed three decades of democracy after the end of Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship.

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All Content on this topic

Quipus, Projekt Zukunft

Ancient knowledge — the knotted language of the Incas

The Incas used quipus — knotted cords — to manage their empire. Much of the mysterious writing system remains undecoded.
ScienceOctober 19, 202404:38 min
Portrait of Antonio Skarmeta, a man with a mustache, who stares straight into the camera.

Chilean author Antonio Skarmeta dies at 83

He fled the Pinochet regime and wrote "Burning Patience," adapted into Oscar-winning "The Postman," in exile in Berlin.
CultureOctober 16, 2024
Hands holding up a sparkling piece of glacial ice, backlit by the sun

Andes' glaciers shrinking at 'unprecedented' rate

Glaciers in South America's mountains are melting even faster than elsewhere, changing the way of life for millions.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 6, 20249 images
The moon blocks the sun during an eclipse, surrounded by dark clouds

South Pacific witnesses 'ring of fire' solar eclipse

The moon blotted out most of the sun across the South Pacific, giving residents of Chile and Argentina a magical show.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 3, 20247 images
Projekt Zukunft/Tomorrow Today Sendung - San Agua

Ancient knowledge — Indigenous irrigation technology

The Indigenous Aymara have long tapped a water source found in the middle of one of the world’s driest deserts.
ScienceSeptember 21, 202406:23 min
Norwegen Algen Lofoten Seaweed

Can algae power our economies?

Scientists in Chile are generating electricity from algae in a process similar to solar cell energy production.
BusinessSeptember 20, 202402:26 min
Carmen Romero Quero sits while she talks

The dynamic director making Chile's theater more accessible

Director Carmen Romero Quero creates critical, historically informed theater for a broad audience.
TheaterSeptember 9, 202409:21 min
DW Arts Unveiled (Sendungslogo Composite)

The power of culture: Goethe Medal 2024

Goethe Medal 2024: The three award winners embody the power of culture.
CultureSeptember 9, 202426:03 min
A two-part medal, with a gold-colored profile of Goethe, and a silver-colored woman's head in Classical style, on a green ribbon atop a pile of old, leather-bound books.

Goethe Medal 2024: Celebrating three women in the arts

Germany's highest prize for foreign cultural policy goes to Claudia Cabrera, Carmen Romero Quero and Iskra Geshoska.
ArtsSeptember 6, 2024
A screenshot of a video showing a man with a hammer at an airport and the label "False"

Fact check: No ax attack at Düsseldorf Airport

A TikTok video claims a man allegedly went on a rampage with an ax at Düsseldorf Airport. But the scene is from Chile.
SocietySeptember 5, 2024
Southern pudu deer standing on grass

New York zoo introduces tiny pudu deer

Pudus are tiny deer, weighting as much as a watermelon. Now a pudu fawn is making its debut at a New York zoo.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 15, 2024
A firefighter monitors the flames while defending a mobile home during the Park Fire in California

How do we fight wildfires as temperatures rise?

As wildfires again burn out of control, strategies to limit climate-fueled infernos include fighting fire with fire.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 12, 2024
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Lithium prices plunge as demand plummets

Demand for lithium, a key component in the global energy transition, has been falling sharply for months.
BusinessAugust 7, 202402:15 min
A young man stands in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Beriln

What's life like as an international student in Berlin?

One in five students in Berlin comes from abroad. Max Chappuzeau, of Chile, says it can take a while to feel at home.
EducationJuly 26, 202403:46 min
Vulkane Thumbnails

Villarrica in Chile — lahars and pyroclastic flows

The Villarrica volcano in Chile is one of the most active in South America — and one of the most dangerous.
ScienceJuly 2, 202409:32 min
DW Dokumentationen | Abenteuer Patagonien

Unknown Patagonia — climate research in the icefields

Patagonia's icefields are very difficult to access. As a result, they remain largely unexplored.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 29, 202426:05 min
An aerial view of a flooded area in Chile

Chile hit by heavy rains, state of 'catastrophe' declared

"Disaster zones" have been declared in several regions of Chile, including the capital Santiago.
CatastropheJune 14, 2024
Doku Chile nach Pinochet

Chile after Pinochet: The search for the disappeared

Under Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship, thousands of Chileans disappeared without a trace.
HistoryMay 13, 202428:36 min
DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

Investors preying on US trailer parks

Residents of US trailer parks at risk of becoming homeless. And Vietnamese coffee growers turning to sustainable farming
SocietyMay 10, 202426:06 min
A fishing boat on the island of Robinson Crusoe off the coast of Chile

Robinson Crusoe Island, a Chilean football fairytale

The tiny Chilean island of Robinson Crusoe played in the country's domestic football cup tournament for the first time.
SportsApril 27, 2024
The LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner that suddenly lost altitude mid-flight a day earlier is seen on the tarmac of the Auckland International Airport.

Dozens hurt as plane headed for New Zealand drops in mid-air

At least 50 people were injured as a plane traveling from Sydney to Auckland dropped abruptly in mid-air.
Cars and TransportationMarch 12, 202401:35 min
A still from the film "The Settlers" featuring two men on horseback.

'The Settlers' depicts genocide of Chile's Indigenous people

Nearly 150 years after the genocide of the Selk'nam people of Tierra del Fuego, a new film recounts the horrors.
CultureFebruary 14, 2024
A man hugs his crying daughter after learning that his house was destroyed

Chile searches for wildfire victims as death toll rises

At least 131 people have been killed in wildfires that swept across Chile's coastal Valparaiso region for several days.
CatastropheFebruary 7, 202401:48 min
Sebastian Pinera looking to the left of the camera in a black and white photograph

Chile: Former President Pinera dies in helicopter crash

Sebastian Pinera was one of four people traveling in a helicopter that crashed south of the capital Santiago.
CatastropheFebruary 6, 2024
A Chilean flag flies above the smoldering remains of a house

More than 100 die in Chile's severe wildfires

In Chile, emergency services have been battling serious fires for days in several towns. The death toll is rising.
Nature and EnvironmentFebruary 5, 20246 images
Firefighters work at the Botanical Garden after a forest fire in Vila del Mar on February 4, 2024

Death toll in Chile wildfires rises to 112

Responders continued to battle fires in the coastal tourist region of Valparaiso amid an intense summer heat wave.
CatastropheFebruary 5, 2024
Aerial view of burned homes after a forest fire in Quilpue, ViÒa del Mar, Chile.

Wildfires in Chile: Death toll keeps rising

In central Chile, firefighters are still battling devastating wildfires that have killed at least 112 people.
CatastropheFebruary 4, 202401:52 min
A group of three people looks over the damage after a fire ripped through an area of Valparaíso

In central Chile, intense forest fires claim dozens of lives

Authorities in the Valparaiso region, which has seen the most deaths, have urged thousands of people to leave home.
CatastropheFebruary 4, 202402:10 min
Residents push a car away from a burning forest fire engulfing homes in Villa Alemana, Valparaiso, Chile, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024

Chile: Forest fires kill dozens, destroy homes

Wildfires have left many dead and destroyed some 1,000 homes in Chile, with the country declaring a state of emergency.
CatastropheFebruary 4, 2024
View of two observatories in the mountains of Chile

Chile's car-sized mega camera explores the universe

Astronomers in Chile want to delve into the universe with the world's largest digital camera.
ScienceFebruary 2, 20248 images
Volunteers carry supplies for firefighters near trees burning in Puren, Chile, late Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023

Chileans recovering from 2023 fires prepare for more to come

With climate change increasing wildfire risk, Chileans have been trying to find ways to adapt and be better prepared.
ClimateJanuary 30, 202402:44 min

Rewriting Chile's constitution - The legacy of dictatorship

On 11 September 1973, a military coup brought Augusto Pinochet to power in Chile.
PoliticsJanuary 25, 202442:35 min
Pablo Nunez on the podium to receive a fencing medal

Veganuary: Life as a plant-based athlete in Chile

A decade since Veganuary began, what is life like for Pablo Nunez, one of South America’s leading vegan athletes?
SportsJanuary 5, 2024
Ballot box with a sign reading "Constitutional plebiscite" in Spanish

Why Chileans rejected new constitution proposals

'The electorate acted like the adult in the room,' says an analyst, regarding the rejection of two draft constitutions.
PoliticsDecember 19, 2023
Members of the campaign against the conservative constitution

Chile rejects second attempt to renew constitution

The new draft constitution, penned by the far-right opposition, was rejected by voters.
PoliticsDecember 18, 2023
Chile's President Gabriel Boric (right) receives the text of the proposed new Constitution from the president of the Constitutional Council, Beatriz Hevia

Chileans get second chance to vote on new constitution

Chileans are voting on a new constitution, aiming to replace the one which dates back to the Pinochet dictatorship.
PoliticsDecember 16, 202302:26 min
Woman planting tree

Chile: Santiago takes measures against climate change

Heat, drought, erosion and landslides: the effects of climate change on the outskirts of Santiago are unmistakable.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 12, 202306:26 min
Doku YT Plan KW 05 Superfood oder Klimakiller

Superfood or climate killer?

Superfood fruits - good for us, but bad for the environment?
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 2, 202342:36 min
Chile's President Gabriel Boric in a DW interview

Chile's Boric: 'We will continue to fight for truth'

Where does Chile stand 50 years after its military coup? President Gabriel Boric speaks to DW.
PoliticsSeptember 11, 202312:36 min
Chilean President Gabriel Boric

Gabriel Boric: Chile's democracy 'still under construction'

In an exclusive DW interview, President Gabriel Boric talks about the political polarization caused by the 1973 coup.
PoliticsSeptember 11, 2023
A grave with flowers and a framed photograph with a man in a suit

Chile: Pinochet victims want transparency and justice

Fifty years after the Pinochet-led coup, families are still searching for loved ones who disappeared during his regime.
ConflictsSeptember 11, 202301:59 min
Black and white picture of General Augusto Pinochet taken in 1973 sowing him in uniform wearing dark glasses and with his arms crossed.

Augusto Pinochet: Images of Chile's dictatorship

Fifty years after the military coup in Chile, historians describe how Augusto Pinochet relied on the power of images.
HistorySeptember 10, 2023
Relatives of victims at a march in July commemorating the victims of Augusto Pinochet's regime. Pinochet ruled between 1973 and 1990.

Chile begins probing 'disappearances' during Pinochet regime

Chile will mark the 50th anniversary of Pinochet's bloody coup on September 11, and the country wants more answers.
Law and JusticeAugust 31, 2023
Pilots prepare an aircraft for departure at an airport

Legacy of Argentina's death flights

Professor Cara Levey joins DW to discuss how Argentina and Chile are coming to terms with former dictatorships.
Human RightsAugust 23, 202329:59 min
A worker displays 9% lithium from a sample pool at Chilean company SQM's (Sociedad Quimica Minera) lithium mine in the Atacama Desert, Calama, Chile

Why is Chile planning to nationalize its lithium industry?

While Chinese e-cars flood the market in Europe, Chile wants to put its lithium producers under state control.
BusinessAugust 22, 202313:04 min
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Chile's clean energy project brings hydrogen gas to homes

Chile has many clean energy sources, raising the future prospect of green hydrogen exports.
BusinessAugust 17, 202303:24 min
DW Business (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Business

China stops releasing youth unemployment figures - Chile banks on green energy transformation
BusinessAugust 16, 202312:30 min
A white goat nibbles on foliage in Santa Juana

Chile looks to goats for fire protection

As Chile recovers from historic wildfires, a couple hopes their goat fire brigade will help prevent future disasters.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 16, 202303:08 min
Handout picture released on June 16, 2023 by Chile's State University of an illustration by Mauricio Alvarez of a dinosaur, which remains were found in the Chilean Patagonia on June 8, 2023

Chile: Remains of new species of duck-billed dinosaur found

Scientists dubbed the dinosaur Gonkoken nanoi, which means "similar to a wild duck or a swan" in the Tehuelche language.
ScienceJune 17, 2023
Jose Antonio Kast waving the Chilean flag

Chile: Far-right party on top in constitution rewrite vote

The far-right Republican Party is set to take almost half of the seats on a committee to rewrite Chile's constitution.
PoliticsMay 8, 2023