The population of Chile today represents centuries of intermingling peoples and cultures. Pre-Columbian tribes ranged the length of the country, with the most ancient mummies ever found unearthed in the far north, and the southernmost indigenous populations living at the bottom tip of the Americas. Spanish colonizers intermarried with these populations beginning in the 16th century and immigration from around the globe has continued ever since. Today Chile’s 19.5 million inhabitants are the living embodiment of this fascinating and diverse history.

About 13% of the total national population self-identify as belonging to a particular ethnic group. The largest of these ethnic groups is the Mapuche, who were the last of Latin America’s indigenous peoples to surrender to Spanish colonial control. The Mapuche are concentrated in the Araucanía region of southern Chile in and around the city of Temuco. In the northern deserts and mountains, the Aymara and Atacameño peoples are the most prominent ethnic communities alongside smaller Quechua and Colla communities, while the Alcalufe (or Kawesqar) and Yaghan are the last remaining indigenous peoples of Tierra del Fuego. On Easter Island, the Rapa Nui ethnic group preserves its unique Polynesian traditions.

Spanish is the official language of Chile, but many of the indigenous peoples preserve their own linguistic traditions. Mapudungun is still widely spoken amongst the Mapuches, while the indigenous peoples of Easter Island still speak Rapa Nui. Aymara, Quechua and Alcalufe are also spoken amongst small numbers of indigenous peoples.

Chile is a country of contrasting climates and weather. Many of its northern deserts have seen no rainfall for hundreds of years, but in parts of the Atacama Desert occasional brief showers make the desert blossom. On the island of Guarello, in the Straits of Magellan to the south, 9000 mm of rain (354.3 ins) fall each a year, more than Bergen in Norway—one of Europe’s rainiest cities.

The climate of the central zone is mild and warm, with rainfall increasing in the south, where it feeds the millenia-old forests of the Lake District.

The Patagonian south is changeable, it can be gloriously warm or icy and cold with strong winds. The Chilean Pacific islands – Easter Island and the Juan Fernandez archipelago – enjoy warm and subtropical climates.

The seasons follow the typical pattern of the southern hemisphere, with winter in the months of June-August and summer from December-February.

Time Zone GMT minus five in winter and GMT minus three in summer. Daylight saving begins the second Saturday of March and ends the second Saturday of October.

Chile’s diversity of landscape and climate provides a bounty of produce, seafood and meat virtually unparalleled in the world. Seafood pours in from the nearly 4,000 miles of Pacific coastline. The pastures of Patagonia and the Lake District support herds of livestock, while the fruits and vegetables grown throughout the country are sent to markets and grocery stores throughout the world.

Pebre: The basic condiment for any Chilean meal, this is a simple mix of finely chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro and spicy ají, or red pepper paste. Use it with virtually everything. Most restaurants will serve a dish of this on the table alongside the typical Chilean bread rolls.

Seafood: A wide variety of dishes are made with Chile’s famous fish and shellfish, including soups and stews using clams, mussels, eel and other ingredients fished off the coast. Some more unique crustaceans like centolla or king crab (a large, sweet crab from the far south), locos (a meaty, white shellfish) and intensely flavored piure (or ‘sea squirt’, not for the faint-hearted) are generally served either topped with mayonnaise or a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Curanto: The regional dish of Chiloé, Chile’s largest island, was traditionally prepared by baking potatoes, chicken, meats and sausages in a large earthen pit lined with hot stones and covered to keep in the heat. Any Chilote (Chiloean) restaurant catering to visitors will serve some version of this dish. The traditional version prepared in the ground is a fixture of any major celebration. If you arrive in Chiloé while a festival is on, you should be able to try this dish.

Asado: The term “Asado” actually refers to an event, not a food. Essentially a mixed grill, nearly every celebration or special event in Chile centres on the parrilla, or grill, where chicken, lamb, pork, longaniza (a Chilean sausage) and Chilean chorizo are cooked over smoking embers. During a visit to Patagonia you are very likely to experience the fabulous gaucho asado where you can try lamb cooked in this unusual and traditional way.