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British Chileans

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This article is about Chilean people of British descent. For British people of Chilean descent, see Chileans in the United Kingdom.

British Chileans are Chilean residents with fully or partial antecedents from the United Kingdom. The British have been very important in the formation of the Chilean nation. They include Chileans of English, Scottish, Ulster Scots, (Northern) Irish and Welsh ancestry. The numbers of Scottish and Welsh are higher in Patagonia, in Aysén and Magallanes regions. The highest percentage of British Chileans is found in Punta Arenas, followed by Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, Viña del Mar and Antofagasta.

British Chileans
Chileno-Británico
Anglochileno
Total population
At least 700,000*[citation needed]
Regions with significant populations
Antofagasta, Valparaíso, Concepción, Viña del Mar, Santiago, Punta Arenas
Languages
Spanish. Minority speaks English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic and/or Lowland Scots as a first language.
Religion
Roman Catholicism, Protestantism (Anglicanism, Methodism, Presbyterianism et al.)
Related ethnic groups
British people, English people, Scottish people, Irish people, Ulster-Scots people, Welsh people

History

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The main British communities in Chile, or La Colonia Britanica, were located in Valparaíso, Punta Arenas, and Concepción. A key moment in British immigration to Chile occurred in 1811, when free trade was decreed, followed by laws in 1824 and 1845 encouraging immigration.[1]

Facing the Pacific Ocean, Chile had for many years an important British presence.[2] Over 50,000[3] British immigrants settled in Chile from 1840 to 1914. A significant number of them settled in Magallanes in Province, especially the city of Punta Arenas when it flourished as a major global seaport for ships crossing the Strait of Magellan from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Around 32,000 English settled in Valparaíso, influencing the port city to the extent of making it virtually a British colony during the last decades of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.[4] However, the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 and the outbreak of the First World War drove many of them away from the city or back to Europe.

In Valparaíso they created their largest and most important colony, bringing with them neighbourhoods of British character, schools, social clubs, sports clubs, business organizations and periodicals. Even today their influence is apparent in specific areas, such as the banks and the navy, as well as in certain social activities, such as football (soccer), horse racing, and the custom of drinking tea.[5]

During the war of independence (1818), it was mainly British privateers hired by the Chilean Government who contributed to the creation of the Chilean Navy, under the command of Lord Cochrane.[citation needed]

Investment from Britain contributed to Chile's prosperity, and British seamen helped the Chilean navy become a force in the South Pacific. Chile won two wars, the first against the Peru-Bolivian Confederation and the second, the War of the Pacific, in 1878-79, against an alliance between Peru and Bolivia. The liberal-socialist "Revolution of 1891" introduced political reforms modelled on British parliamentary practice and lawmaking.[citation needed]

British immigrants were also important in the northern zone of the country during the saltpetre boom, in the ports of Iquique and Pisagua. The King of Saltpetre, John Thomas North, was the principal tycoon of nitrate mining. Britain's legacy is reflected in the streets of the historic district of the city of Iquique, with the foundation of various institutions, such as the Club Hípico (Racing Club). Nevertheless, active British presence came to an end with the saltpetre crisis of the 1930s.[citation needed] The most important newspaper of the British community in Valparaíso during the 19th century was The Chilean Times.[6] During the first half of the 20th century, the most influential medium was The South Pacific Mail (1909-1965), which circulated throughout the west coast of South America.[7]

A contingent of British (principally Scottish and Irish) immigrants arrived between 1914 and 1950, settling in the present-day region of Magallanes. British families were established in other areas of the country, such as Santiago, Coquimbo, the Araucanía, and Chiloé.[citation needed]

Cultural and technological legacy

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The cultural legacy of the British in Chile is notable and has spread beyond the British Chilean community onto society at large. One custom taken from the British is afternoon tea, called "onces" by Chileans. Another interesting, although peculiar, legacy is the sheer amount of use of British first surname[clarification needed] by Chileans.[8]

British technology in mining, railway, maritime infrastructure, and other industrial applications predominated in Chile in the latter half of the 19th century, continuing through the 1930s. Manuel A. Fernández's book, "Technology and British Nitrate Enterprises in Chile, 1880-1914" (Issue 34 of Occasional Papers- Institute of Latin American Studies Glasgow University, ISSN 0305-8646) details some of the British technology contributions to the development of the Chilean mining industry. Similar benefits were seen in the railway and meat-processing industries. Many of the British engineers and technicians, who came to Chile to support British equipment, remained in the country. Even Chile's modern system of lighthouses was largely the result of British expertise and technology: towards the end of the 19th century, Scottish engineer George Slight designed and constructed 70 lighthouses, most of which are still in operation.[citation needed]

Chile currently has the largest population who can claim to be descendants of the British in Latin America.[citation needed] Over 700,000 Chileans may have British (English, Scottish and Welsh) or Irish origin, amounting to about 4% of Chile's population.[citation needed] Many speak unaccented English at home. There are many schools in Chile that are bilingual, offering a British curriculum in English and the standard Chilean curriculum in Spanish, and throughout the 20th century English language learning and teaching in state schools and private institutions with British curriculum is invariably geared towards the Received Pronunciation.

Notable people

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Also to note is that the Australian prime minister Chris Watson was born in Valparaíso of British/New Zealand and German-Chilean parentage. Isabel Allende's first husband, Michael Frias, is of significant British ancestry.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Edmundson, William (2009). A History of the British Presence in Chile: From Bloody Mary to Charles Darwin and the Decline of British Influence. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. pp. 103-129. ISBN 9780230114838.
  2. ^ Inmigrantes británicos.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Noticias LA EMIGRACIÓN DE CHILENOS AL EXTERIOR E INMIGRACIÓN A CHILE". Archived from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  4. ^ "Inmigración britanica en Chile". Archived from the original on 2009-08-22. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
  5. ^ *Legado británico en Valparaíso*, ed. Michelle Prain (Santiago: RIL Editores, 2011). ISBN 978-956-284-816-9.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference spaul was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Roberto Pérez Castro, “The South Pacific Mail,” Anglophone Chile, accessed October 25, 2024, https://www.anglophonechile.org/the-south-pacific-mail?lang=en.
  8. ^ "Historia de Chile, Británicos y Anglosajones en Chile durante el siglo XIX". Retrieved 2010-01-11.
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