Chile

Category: Immigration

According to one of the most recent censuses, Chile has a population of approximately 15,116,435 people. About 85% of the people live in urban areas, mostly near the capita of Santiago, and with the other 15% residing in other rural areas. In Chile, the birth rate has been on the decline since the early 1990s, and the death rate of 2007 was about 5.87 deaths per 1,000 births.
Chile is located in Latin American, and most of its population is made up of mestizos, or people of a mix of Spanish and Indian heritage.
Chile has never been a magnet of immigration, never experienced large scale waves of immigrants to its borders. The Chilean government encouraged the immigration of many whites, yet when Asians and even some Africans immigrated they were not welcomed, and many were discriminated against by the native population. The 1970s brought about a new era of emigration to and from Chile with the institution of Dictator General Augusto Pinochet. With his rule came the fleeing of many Chileans to other Latin American countries as refugees, and many others were forced to leave. After the fall of Pinochet in 1988, immigration levels changed once more with the arrival of many who had previously fled Chile. Now, Chile is working on making a modern immigration policy, including maintaining relations with Chileans outside of the borders, maintaining and developing its borders and border crossings, and cooperating in conferences with other nations regarding migration issues and policy. The country is also focused on working towards a better integration policy that is still in its infancy.