Chilean Argentines are Argentine citizens of Chilean descent or

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

-born people who reside in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Argentina is home to the largest Chilean diaspora group. According to the Argentine 2010 census, there are 191.147 Chileans living in the country (born in Chilean territory). An estimate 2003-2004 estimated Chilean descendants, born in Argentina to a Chilean father or mother, in 190,000. Other figures, such as those by

The World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a Reference work, reference resource produced by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The off ...

, show a total population (including those born in Chile and their descendants) of 429,708 people. Chilean immigration to Argentina dates back to colonial times. During the War of Independence of Chile, the period known as the '' Patria Vieja'', ended with the defeat of the patriot forces at the Battle of Rancagua on October 1 and 2, 1814. The patriots who were crossing the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

took refuge in the

United Provinces of the Río de la Plata The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (), earlier known as the United Provinces of South America (), was a name adopted in 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán for the region of South America that declared independence in 1816, with the Sove ...

. Some of them returned to their country with the Army of the Andes in 1817 achieving restore the independence of Chile. The countries share language,

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

, history, and the

Argentina–Chile border The Argentina–Chile border is the longest international border of South America and the third longest in the world after the Canada–United States border and the Kazakhstan–Russia border. With a length of , it separates Argentina from Chile a ...

, one of the longest borders in the world, among other things.

History

The migration process between the two countries dates back to colonial times. A memorable case was that of Chilean migration to Argentina after the Battle of Rancagua and the Spanish reconquest of Chile between 1814 and 1817. From the late 19th century there was a steady migration from the

Chiloé Archipelago The Chiloé Archipelago (, , ) is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and the Gulf of Corcovado in the s ...

to the southern provinces of Argentina, to work on sheep farms. Since then, their descendants have been an important part of the Chilean population resident in southern Argentina, to the point that the term "chilote" is a derogatory nickname for any Chilean. However, Chilean migration increased dramatically after the coup in

1973 Chilean coup d'état The 1973 Chilean coup d'état () was a military overthrow of the democratic socialist president of Chile Salvador Allende and his Popular Unity (Chile), Popular Unity coalition government. Allende, who has been described as the first Marxist ...

led by

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...

after the Chilean military government exiled opponents of the military regime, who joined many opponents who had left Chile voluntarily. This did not last long, as Argentina underwent a coup itself three years later. After the return of democracy to Chile in 1990, some citizens of that country returned to their homeland, but others settled in Argentina, especially in the Patagonia region, where 53% of Chilean Argentines live, exceeding 5% of the total population of each province, and the region of Cuyo, where they form 12% of the total population. 18% of Chilean Argentines live in Buenos Aires.

Gallery

Notable people

File:Manuel Blanco Encalada (Nataniel Hughes, 1853).jpg, Manuel Blanco Encalada File:LautaroMurúa-DemasiadoJovenes-1958.jpg, Lautaro Murúa File:Eduardo Braun Menéndez.jpg, Eduardo Braun-Menéndez File:Kirchner marzo 2007 Congreso.jpg, Néstor Kirchner

References

{{Chilean diaspora *

History

Gallery

Notable people

See also

References