What are the inhabitants of Chile called?

The inhabitants of modern Chile

The citizens of Chile are officially designated as Chileans. This designation applies to the entire national population, regardless of ethnic origin.

The Mapuche indigenous people

Chile is home to a major indigenous people: the Mapuches, whose name literally means "people of the earth" in Mapudungun, their ancestral language. Spanish colonizers nicknamed them the Araucanians, a term still sometimes used in historical texts.

The Mapuches represent the country's most important indigenous community and preserve their cultural traditions, particularly in the regions of southern Chile.

Key takeaways

Although all are Chileans in the national sense, the distinction between the general population and indigenous peoples remains important for understanding the country's cultural richness.