Map of Chile | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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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 in 1991-97 and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Growth slowed in 1998-99 but will likely recover in 2000.


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Location: Southern South America bordering the South Atlantic Ocean and South Pacific Ocean between Argentina and Peru

Geographic coordinates: 30 00 S 71 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Comparative: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

Land boundaries

Coastline: 6,435 km

Maritime claims

Climate: temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; 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 hydropower

Land use

Irrigated land: 12,650 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis

Geography
Note: 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: 15,153,797 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 1.17% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 22% (1998 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: white and white-Amerindian 95% Amerindian 3% other 2%

Languages: Spanish

Religions: Roman Catholic 89% Protestant 11% Jewish NEGL

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.17% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 17.19 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 5.52 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 9.6 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

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 (Santiago) Tarapaca Valparaiso

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 and in 1993

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; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (48 seats 38 elected by popular vote and 10 appointed (all former presidents are senators for life); members serve eight-year terms - one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself the president of the Supreme Court is elected by the 21-member court; Constitutional Tribunal

Political parties and leaders: Chile 2000 - main party is UCCP [Alejandro GARCIA-HUIDBORO]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Gutenberg MARTINEZ]; Coalition of Parties for Democracy ('Concertacion') or CPD [Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle] - including PDC PS PPD PRSD; Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Pablo LONGUEIRA]; National Renewal or RN [Alberto CARDEMIL]; Party for Democracy or PPD [Sergio BITAR]; Party of the South or PS [leader NA]; Progressive Center-Center Union or UCCP [Francisco Javier ERRAZURIZ]; Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Anselmo SULE]; Socialist Party or PS [Ricardo NUNEZ]; Union for the Progress of Chile ('Alliance for Chile') or UPP [Arturo ALESSANDRI Besa] - including RN and UDI

International organization participation: APEC CCC ECLAC FAO G-11 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU LAES LAIA Mercosur (associate) NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA RG UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNITAR UNMIBH UNMOGIP UNTSO UNU UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

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


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Economy overview: Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during the period 1991-1997 but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999 reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and rationing and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects of the recession Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of 1999 exports and economic activity had begun to recover and a return to strong growth in 2000 is likely. The inauguration of Ricardo LAGOS in March 2000 succeeding Eduardo FREI will keep the presidency in the hands of the center-left Concertacion coalition that has held office since the return of civilian rule in 1990.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -1% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,400 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: wheat corn grapes beans sugar beets potatoes fruit; beef poultry wool; fish; timber

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

Industrial production growth rate: -1.3% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 5.8 million (1999 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 14%
By occupation industry: 27%
By occupation services: 59% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9% (1999)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 22% (1998 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.4% (1999 est.)

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: $15.6 billion (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: copper fish fruits paper and pulp chemicals
Partners: EU 27% US 16% Japan 14% Brazil 6% Argentina 5% (1998)

Imports: $13.9 billion (c.i.f. 1999)
Commodities: consumer goods chemicals motor vehicles fuels electrical machinery heavy industrial machinery food
Partners: US 24% EU 23% Argentina 11% Brazil 6% Japan 6% Mexico 5% (1998)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $39 billion (1999)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1 - 520.45 (January 2000) 508.78 (1999) 460.29 (1998) 419.30 (1997) 412.27 (1996) 396.77 (1995)


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Electricity
Production: 37.49 billion kWh (1999)
Consumption: 26.665 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 2.603 million (1998)
Mobile cellular: 197,300 (1995)

Telephone system: modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 26 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $2.5 billion (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 3.1% (FY99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 370 (1999 est.)

Heliports

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

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 725 km

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: 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 and British claims

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: a growing transshipment country for cocaine destined for the US and Europe; economic prosperity has made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising