The Chilean culture is dynamic and diverse, combining traditions with occidental, indigenous, regional and national elements.
 
In the 19th century, strong influences from Europe, particularly from France, were added such that Chile's European heritage is pervasive. For centuries, the Paris education of many Chilean intellectuals influenced the country's art, music and architecture. Important art galleries, museums and a thriving theatre scene are the result.
 
The country's art, literature and music have been internationally influential. Chile has spawned the Nobel Prize-winning poets Gabriela Mistral (1945) and Pablo Neruda (1971), among other well known artists as Claudio Arrau pianist and Roberto Matta painter, Isabel Allende, Jorge Edwards, José Donoso, Luis Sepúlveda and Francisco Coloane writers. In visual arts, Claudio Bravo and Mario Toral are excellent examples. In classical music, we have to mention Max Valdés, and opera singers Victoria Vergara and Verónica Villarroel, as well as the composer Juan Orrego-Salas.
 
Over 80% of the population is Roman Catholic, though evangelical Protestantism is becoming increasingly popular. The country's Catholic architecture is impressive and ubiquitous, from grandiose colonial churches to roadside shrines, some of which are extraordinary manifestations of folk art.
 
Spanish is Chile’s official language, though a handful of native languages are still spoken somewhere. In the north, there are more than 20,000 speakers of Aymara, and in the south there are perhaps half a million speakers of Mapuche. The most intriguing linguistic minority is the 2000-plus speakers of Rapa Nui, the Polynesian language of most of Easter Island's population.