1. Using an atlas, almanac, or encyclopedia, prepare a fact-finder report on Chile containing the following information: location, capital city, population, geography (area, coastline, climate, environment, terrain, land use), people (nationality, ethnic groups, languages, religions, marriages, life expectancy), government (leaders, type of government, administrative divisions, date of independence, national holiday), economy (overview, GDP, inflation, industries, labour force, unemployment, agriculture, natural resources), finance and trade (currency, international reserves, gold reserves, budget, defence expenditures, external debt, imports and exports, health (births, deaths, infant mortality, life expectancy, number of doctors), education (government expenditure, literacy), communications and transportation (daily newspapers, televisions, radios, telephones, motor vehicles, roads, railway, air traffic, airports). Where possible, compare the information you have gathered about Chile with similar statistics on Canada.

2. Research the major economic developments that have taken place in Chile since the 1980s and decide to what extent you think they can be characterized as a “miracle.” In what ways has the Chilean economy improved? Which groups of people have benefited from this development? Who has been left behind in this process?

3. Find out more about the government of Salvador Allende in Chile from 1970-73. What were the main goals of Allende’s administration? How did he attempt to realize them? What was the impact of Allende’s government on Chilean society? Why did the military decide to overthrow him in 1973?

4. The role of the United States in the 1973 military coup in Chile remains controversial to this day. Research the history of U.S. involvement in Chile’s affairs prior to, during, and after the Allende period. What evidence exists that could link the Nixon administration directly or indirectly to the overthrow of the Allende regime?

5. Research the Pinochet years in Chile’s recent history from 1973-90. What were the main objectives of Pinochet’s regime? What impact did his dictatorship have on the Chilean people? Why is opinion in Chile still so divided over the legacy of this man and his years in power?

6. View one of the following films about Chile’s political history and write a review of it: Missing, The House of the Spirits, Threads of Hope, or Chile: The Obstinate Memory. This last film was produced by the National Film Board in 1997 and was directed by Patricio Guzman.

7. Three famous Chilean writers are the Nobel-Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda, who died shortly after the military coup in 1973, the novelist Isabel Allende (sister of Salvador Allende), and the playwright Ariel Dorfman. Find out more about the life and works of one of these authors and what we can learn from them about Chile’s turbulent recent history.