Chile
Republic of Chile
Capital: Santiago
History
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the Inca ruled northern Chile while the Mapuche inhabited central and southern Chile. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the 1880s that the Mapuche were brought under central government control. After a series of elected governments, the three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was inaugurated in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.
Geography
Metric Units
|
Total Area
|
756,102
sq km
|
| Land Boundaries |
6,339
km
|
| Border Countries |
Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km |
| Coastline |
6,435
km
|
| Terrain |
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east |
| Minimum Elevation |
0
m
|
| Maximum Elevation |
6,880
m
|
| Climate |
temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south |
| Natural Resources |
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower |
| Arable Land |
1.74% |
| Permanent Crops |
0.6% |
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$83.66 billion |
| Export Items |
copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine |
| Export Partners |
China 22.8%, US 11.1%, Japan 11.1%, Brazil 5.5%, South Korea 5.5%, Netherlands 4.7% (2011) |
| Imports |
$70.2 billion |
| Import Items |
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas |
| Import Partners |
US 20.1%, China 16.9%, Brazil 8.3%, Argentina 6.3%, Germany 4.2% (2011) |
People
| Population |
17,216,945 |
| Population Growth |
0.86% |
| Ethnic Groups |
white and white-Amerindian 95.4%, Mapuche 4%, other indigenous groups 0.6% (2002 census) |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census) |
| Life Expectancy |
78.27 years |
| Infant Mortality |
0.97 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
1.1 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
