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Background:
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Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians (also known as Mapuches) 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 Araucanian Indians were completely subjugated. A 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 installed 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.
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Location:
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Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
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Geographic coordinates:
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30 00 S, 71 00 W
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 756,950 sq km
land: 748,800 sq km
water: 8,150 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
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Land boundaries:
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total: 6,339 km
border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km
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Coastline:
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6,435 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200/350 nm
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Climate:
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temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south
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Terrain:
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low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m
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Natural resources:
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copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.62%
permanent crops: 0.43%
other: 96.95% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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19,000 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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922 cu km (2000)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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Total: 12.55 cu km/yr (11%/25%/64%)
Per capita: 770 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
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Environment - current issues:
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widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions
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Population:
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16,284,741 (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 24.1% (male 2,010,576/female 1,920,951)
15-64 years: 67.4% (male 5,480,703/female 5,492,988)
65 years and over: 8.5% (male 576,698/female 802,825) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 30.7 years
male: 29.8 years
female: 31.7 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.916% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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15.03 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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5.87 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.047 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.998 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.718 male(s)/female
total population: 0.982 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 8.36 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 76.96 years
male: 73.69 years
female: 80.4 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.97 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.3% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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26,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,400 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean
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Ethnic groups:
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white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2%
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census)
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Languages:
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Spanish
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.7%
male: 95.8%
female: 95.6% (2002 census)
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This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008
- The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook - |
