German Chileans

German Chileans (Spanish: germanochilenos; German: Deutsch-Chilenen) are Chileans descended from German immigrants, about 30,000 of whom arrived in Chile between 1846 and 1914. Most of these were from traditionally Catholic Bavaria, Baden and the Rhineland, and also from Bohemia in the present-day Czech Republic; even included were Alsatians and Poles through Partitions of Poland. A smaller number of Lutherans immigrated to Chile following the failed revolutions of 1848. From the middle of the 19th century to the present, they have played a significant role in the economic, political and cultural development of the Chilean nation. The 19th-century immigrants settled chiefly in Chile's Araucanía, Los Ríos and Los Lagos regions in the so-called Zona Sur of Chile, including the Chilean lake district. They've gone on to have significant influence in Chilean culture and life. The current President of Chile, José Antonio Kast, is of German origin.