Statistical information Chile 1992

Chile in the World

Chile - Introduction 1992

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Background: A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET which ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies first implemented by the PINOCHET dictatorship led to unprecedented growth since 1991 and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government.

Chile - Geography 1992

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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 756,950 km²
Land:

748,800 km²; includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla
Sala y Gomez

Comparative: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

Land boundaries: 6,171 km; Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km

Coastline: 6,435 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes:

short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is indefinite; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific
Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean
Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine claim

Climate: temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south

Terrain: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east

Elevation

Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum

Land use

Land use: arable land: 7%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 16%; forest and woodland 21%; other 56%; includes irrigated 2%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography

Chile - People 1992

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Population: 13,528,945 (July 1992), growth rate 1.6% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Chilean(s; adjective - Chilean

Ethnic groups: European and European-Indian 95%, Indian 3%, other 2%

Languages: Spanish

Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, and small Jewish population

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 21 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues:

subject to severe earthquakes, active volcanism, tsunami;
Atacama Desert one of world's driest regions; desertification

Current issues note:

strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 77 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 93% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Chile - Government 1992

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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Chile

Government type: republic

Capital: Santiago

Administrative divisions:

13 regions (regiones, singular - region);
Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama,
Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos,
Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana, Tarapaca,
Valparaiso; note - the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Dependent areas

Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

Constitution:

11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 30
July 1989

Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Chamber of Deputies:

last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held
December 1993 or January 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) Concertation of Parties for Democracy 72 (PDC 38, PPD 17, PR 5, other 12), RN 29, UDI 11, right-wing independents 8

President:

last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or
January 1994); results - Patricio AYLWIN (PDC) 55.2%, Hernan BUCHI 29.4%, other 15.4%

Senate:

last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or
January 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (46 total, 38 elected) Concertation of Parties for Democracy 22 (PDC 13, PPD 5, PR 2, PSD 1, PRSD 1), RN 6, UDI 2, independents 8

Communists: The PCCh has legal party status and has less than 60,000 members

Executive branch: president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTV, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation:

Ambassador Patricio SILVA Echenique; Chancery at 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036; telephone (202) 785-1746; there are Chilean Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco

US:

Ambassador Curtis KAMMAN; Embassy at Codina Building, 1343 Agustinas,
Santiago (mailing address is APO AA 34,033); telephone 56 (2) 671-0133; FAX 56 (2) 699-1141

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center; design was based on the US flag

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage

Chile - Economy 1992

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Economy overview:

The government of President Aylwin, which took power in 1990, has opted to retain the orthodox economic policies of Pinochet, although the share of spending for social welfare has risen slightly. In 1991 growth in
GDP recovered to 5.5% (led by consumer spending) after only 2.1% growth in 1990. The tight monetary policy of 1990 helped cut the rate of inflation from 27.3% in 1990 to 18.7% in 1991. Despite a 12% drop in copper prices, the trade surplus rose in 1991, and international reserves increased.
Inflationary pressures are not expected to ease much in 1992, and economic growth is likely to approach 7%.

GDP: exchange rate conversion - $30.5 billion, per capita $2,300; real growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for about 9% of GDP (including fishing and forestry; major exporter of fruit, fish, and timber products; major crops - wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, deciduous fruit; livestock products - beef, poultry, wool; self-sufficient in most foods; 1989 fish catch of 6.1 million metric tons; net agricultural importer

Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

growth rate 5.9% (1991 est.); accounts for 36% of
GDP

Labor force: 4,728,000; services 38.3% (includes government 12%); industry and commerce 33.8%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 19.2%; mining 2.3%; construction 6.4% (1990)
Organized labor: 13% of labor force (1990)

Labor force

Unemployment rate: 6.5% (1991)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $7.6 billion; expenditures $8.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $772 million (1991 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $8.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: copper 50%, other metals and minerals 7%, wood products 6.5%, fish and fishmeal 9%, fruits 5% (1989)
Partners: EC 36%, US 18%, Japan 14%, Brazil 6% (1989)

Imports: $7.4 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: petroleum, wheat, capital goods, spare parts, raw materials
Partners: EC 20%, US 20%, Japan 11%, Brazil 10% (1989)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1 - 368.66 (January 1992), 349.37 (1991), 305.06 (1990), 267.16 (1989), 245.05 (1988), 219.54 (1987)

Chile - Energy 1992

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Electricity access

Electricity production: 5,502,800 kW capacity; 21,470 million kWh produced, 1,616 kWh per capita (1991)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita

Chile - Communication 1992

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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Chile - Military 1992

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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $1 billion, 3.4% of GDP (1991 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups

Chile - Transportation 1992

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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

390 total, 349 usable; 48 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 12
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 58
with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 755 km; petroleum products 785 km; natural gas 320 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 725 km

Merchant marine:

33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 468,873
GRT/780,932 DWT; includes 11 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 bulk; note - in addition, 2 naval tanker and 2 military transport are sometimes used commercially

Civil air: 29 major transport aircraft

Ports and terminals

Chile - Transnational issues 1992

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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs