British Chilean

British-Chilean
chileno-británico
anglochileno

Total population
(At least 700,000* (*including the descendants of Irish) (About 4% of Chilean population))
Regions with significant populations
Antofagasta, Valparaíso, Concepcion, Viña del Mar, Santiago, and the highest percentage of British descent lives in Punta Arenas
Languages
Spanish. Minority speaks English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and/or Lowland Scots as first language.
Religion
Roman Catholicism, Protestantism (Anglicanism, Methodism, Presbyterianism et al.)
Related ethnic groups
British people, English people, Scottish people, Welsh people

Part of a series of articles on British Latin Americans
Groups
British Argentines British Bolivians British Brazilians British Chileans British Colombians British Costa Ricans British Dominicans British Ecuadorians British Guatemalans British Hondurans British Mexicans British Nicaraguans British Panamanians British Paraguayans British Peruvians Anglo Puerto Ricans British Salvadorians British Uruguayans British Venezuelans
Languages
Spanish · Portuguese · British English
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The British Chileans are people of British ancestry, in full or in part, who reside in Chile. The British have been very important in the formation of the Chilean nation. They include Chileans of English, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. The numbers of Scottish and Welsh are higher in Patagonia, in Aysen and Magallanes regions. The highest percentage of British Chileans is found in Punta Arenas, followed by Santiago, Valparaiso, Concepcion, Viña del Mar and Antofagasta.

Chile, facing the Pacific Ocean, has for many years had an important British presence. Over 50,000 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. 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.

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Wikipedia