CHILOE', the insular province of Chili (q.v.), is an archipelago on the w. side of South America, which takes its name from its principal island. It is separated from the rest of the republic, or rather from Patagonia, by the gulf of Ancud, extending in s. lat. from 41°40' to 20', and in w. long. from 73' to 74°. The province—which, in 1875, numbered 64,536 inhabitants—contains, in addition to C. proper, about 60 islets, of which about 30 are uninhabited. In the archipelago are two towns, both of them seaports of C. proper—Castro, the ancient capital, on the 0. coast; and San Carlos, the modern seat of government, towards the n.w. extremity. The atmosphere, like that of the mainland opposite, is excessively moist; the westerly winds, more particularly in winter, bringing almost constant rains. The climate, however, is on the whole healthy. This fact is the more remarkable, inasmuch as C. proper is one natural forest, measur
ing 100 m. by 40, with a partially cleared and cultivated margin on the sea. The chief products are wheat, barley, potatoes, apples, and strawberries; and cattle, sheep, and pigs are reared in considerable numbers, Agriculture, however, is in a very primitive state ; and the staple food of many consists of mussels and oysters. The population, equally indolent and poor, differs from that of the rest of Chili in the greatpreponder ance of aboriginal blood. Schools are numerous; hut, from the ignorance of the teach ers, education has not made satisfactory progress. The principal manufacture is a coarse woolen cloth, dyed blue. This archipelago was discovered by the Spaniards as late as 1558; and as it was the last integral portion of Spanish America to be colonized, so also was it the last to throw off the mother-country's yoke.