Chile

Where is Chile?

Located in Southern South America, Chile has a 7,801.00 km border with Argentina (6,691 km), Bolivia (942 km) and Peru (168 km). It has a 6,435.00 km coastline. Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim tor estore the Atacama corridor.

The capital city of Chile is Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile. This city is located at 1,706 feet above sea level between the Chilean Coastal and the Andes mountains in the Chilean Central Valley. The population of the city proper is over 200,000, while the entire metropolitan area has a population size of more than 7.3 million individuals. This makes Santiago the most populated city in the country and, in fact, more than one-third of the country lives in here. This city was founded in February of 1541 and has been the capital of Chile since prior to its independence. It is a popular destination with tourists and offers entertainment, culture, and day trips to the mountains or to the coast.

Chile is a South American country covering 756,102.00 km² of which 1.63% is water and 743,812.00 km² is land. The area includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez. This makes it the 37th largest country in the world and slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana. Its geographic coordinates are 30 00 S, 71 00 W and Santiago is the capital city.

The country's name is said to come from the Mapuche word "chilli" which means "limit of the Earth".

Its ISO code is CL.

Geography

Chile has a mean elevation of 1,871 m above sea level.

It has a temperate climate that ranges from arid in the north, Mediterranean in the central region and cool and moist in the south. Its terrain consits of low coastal mountains, a fertile central valley, and rugged Andes in the east.

Population

Chile has a population of 17,650,114 making it the 63rd largest in the world. The majority of the country lives in and around the capital of Santiago.

Spanish is the official language and the most widely spoken. The major ethnic groups reported include white and non-indigenous, Mapuche, and Aymara. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic, with large Evangelical and Protestant minorities.

The official language of Chile is Spanish, which is spoken as a native language by the vast majority of the population. A number of other indigenous and immigrant languages are also spoken in this country, although they do not hold official status. The most widely spoken indigenous language in Chile is Mapudungun, which is used by around 114,000 individuals. Several of the indigenous languages, however, are in danger of extinction. One example of this is Yámana, which has only one speaker left living. Of the immigrant languages spoken here, German is the most widely used with around 20,000 speakers. Additionally, Chileans use some very unique phrases like “tiene malas pulgas” (you have bad fleas), which can be taken to mean “you’re in a bad mood.”

The dialing code for the country is 56.

Government

Chile is an independent country. It gained independence from Spain in 1810. Its constitution was last ratified in 1989.

The government of Chile is a representative democracy in which the President serves as both the Head of State and the Head of Government. Presidents are prevented from serving consecutive terms. The legislative branch of government is carried out by the National Congress, which is a bicameral body made up of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Legislation is carried out in the new Chile Congress building, located in the port city of Valparaiso. Voting in Chile has been voluntary since 2009 and is open to all citizens over the age of 18 and with a valid national identification card or passport.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Chile's GDP is $436,000,000,000.00 (USD) with $24,000.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 44th largest economy and its citizens the 75th richest in the world. The currency of Chile is the Peso (CLP).

Its major export partners are China, the United States, and Japan. Its main exports are copper, fruit, fish products, paper, and pulp. Its major import partners are China, Brazil, and Argentina. Its major imports include petroleum and petroleum products, and chemicals.

Flag

The current flag of Chile was officially adopted on October 18, 1817. Its background is made up of 2 horizontal stripes of equal width. The top stripe is white in color, while the bottom stripe is red. In the top left corner of the flag, partially covering the white band, is a dark blue square. A white, 5-pointed star sits directly in the center of the blue square. The official length by width proportion of the flag of Chile is 3 to 2. Additionally, the white stripe must be twice as wide as the blue square.