Background: Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century northern Chile was under Inca rule while the indigenous 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 Indians were completely subjugated. After a series of elected governments 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.

Geographic coordinates: 30 00 S 71 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 756,102 km²
Rank: 38
Land: 743,812 km²
Water: 12,290 km²
Note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Comparative: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

Land boundaries
Total: 6,339 km
Border countries: (3) Argentina 5,308 km; Bolivia 860 km; Peru 171 km

Coastline: 6,435 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200/350 nm

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
Extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 2.62%
Permanent crops: 0.43%
Other: 96.95% (2005)

Irrigated land: 19,000 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 922 km³ (2000)

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

Population: 16,601,707 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 60
Growth rate: 0.881% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 136
Below poverty line: 18.2% (2005)

Nationality
Noun: Chilean
Adjective: Chilean

Ethnic groups: white and white-Amerindian 95.4% Mapuche 4% other indigenous groups 0.6% (2002 census)

Languages: Spanish (official) Mapudungun German English

Religions: Roman Catholic 70% Evangelical 15.1% Jehovah's Witness 1.1% other Christian 1% other 4.6% none 8.3% (2002 census)

Age structure
0-14 years: 23.2%
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,625,963/female 5,628,146)
65 years and over: 9.1% (male 627,746/female 875,872) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 31.4 years
Male: 30.4 years
Female: 32.4 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.881% (2009 est.)
Rank: 136

Birth rate: 14.64 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 143

Death rate: 5.84 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 167

Net migration rate: NA (2009 est.)

Urbanization
Urban population: 88% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Environment
Current issues: widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage
International agreements 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 7.71 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 164
Male: 8.49 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.88 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.34 years
Rank: 56
Male: 74.07 years
Female: 80.77 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.92 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 139

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 85
People living with hivaids: 31,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 70
Deaths: 1100 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 72

Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 141

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 95.7%
Male: 95.8%
Female: 95.6% (2002 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 14 years (2006)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Chile
Conventional short form: Chile
Local long form: Republica de Chile
Local short form: Chile

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Santiago
Geographic coordinates: 33 27 S 70 40 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March

Administrative divisions: 15 regions (regiones singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo Antofagasta Araucania Arica y Parinacota Atacama Biobio Coquimbo Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Los Lagos Los Rios Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena Maule Region Metropolitana (Santiago) Tarapaca Valparaiso
Note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day 18 September (1810)

Constitution: 11 September 1980 effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989 1991 1997 1999 2000 2003 and 2005

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; note - in June 2005 Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new US-style adversarial system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria ; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 11 December 2005 with runoff election held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in December 2009)
Election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique 46.5%

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats; members elected by popular vote to 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)
Elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2009)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 20 (PDC 6 PS 8 PPD 3 PRSD 3) APC 17 (UDI 9 RN 8) independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21 PPD 22 PS 15 PRSD 7) APC 54 (UDI 34 RN 20) independent 1; note - as of 8 January 2008: Senate - seats by party - CPD 18 (PDC 5 PS 8 PPD 2 PRSD 3) APC 16 (UDI 9 RN 7) independent 4; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - CPD 57 (PDC 16 PPD 19 PS 15 PRSD 7) APC 53 (UDI 33 RN 20) independent 10.

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 every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal (eight-members - two each from the Senate Chamber of Deputies Supreme Court and National Security Council - review the constitutionality of laws approved by Congress)

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Chile (Alianza) or APC (including National Renewal or RN [Carlos LARRAIN Pena] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Juan Antonio COLOMA Correa]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy (Concertacion) or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Juan Carlos LATORRE Carmona] Socialist Party or PS [Camilo ESCALONA Medina] Party for Democracy or PPD [Pepe AUTH Stewart] and Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER del Valle]; Humanist Party [Marilen CABRERA Olmos]

International organization participation: APEC BIS CAN (associate) FAO G-15 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC LAES LAIA Mercosur (associate) MIGA MINUSTAH NAM OAS OECD (accession state) OPANAL OPCW PCA RG SICA (observer) UN UNASUR UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO Union Latina UNMOGIP UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Maria GONI Carrasco
In the us chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 785-1746
In the us fax: [1] (202) 887-5,579
In the us consulate general: Chicago Houston Los Angeles Miami New York Philadelphia San Francisco San Juan (Puerto Rico)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Paul E. SIMONS
From the us embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2,800 Las Condes Santiago
From the us mailing address: APO AA 34,033
From the us telephone: [56] (2) 330-3,000
From the us fax: [56] (2) 330-3,710 330-3,160

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; 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 representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky white is for the snow-covered Andes and red represents the blood spilled to achieve independence
Note: design was influenced by the US flag

Economy overview: Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade and a reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. Exports account for 40% of GDP with commodities making up some three-quarters of total exports. Copper alone provides one-third of government revenue. 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 1991-97 but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the situation in 1999 reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. In the years since then growth has averaged 4% per year. Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile claims to have more bilateral or regional trade agreements than any other country. It has 57 such agreements (not all of them full free trade agreements) including with the European Union Mercosur China India South Korea and Mexico. Over the past five years foreign direct investment inflows have quadrupled to some $17 billion in 2008. The Chilean government conducts a rule-based countercyclical fiscal policy accumulating surpluses in sovereign wealth funds during periods of high copper prices and economic growth and allowing deficit spending only during periods of low copper prices and growth. As of September 2008 those sovereign wealth funds - kept mostly outside the country and separate from Central Bank reserves - amounted to more than $20 billion.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 45
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 117

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 77
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.8%
Industry: 50.5%
Services: 44.7% (2008 est.)

Agriculture products: grapes apples pears onions wheat corn oats peaches garlic asparagus beans; 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: 0.7% (2008 est.)
Rank: 128

Labor force: 7.267 million (2008 est.)
Rank: 61
By occupation agriculture: 13.2%
By occupation industry: 23%
By occupation services: 63.9% (2005)

Unemployment rate: 7% (2007 est.)
Rank: 105

Population below poverty line: 18.2% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.6%
Highest 10: 41.7% (2006)

Distribution of family income gini index: 57.1 (2000)
Rank: 14

Budget
Revenues: $44.79 billion
Expenditures: $35.09 billion (2008 est.)

Public debt: 12.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Rank: 120

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.4% (2007 est.)
Rank: 134

Central bank discount rate: 6% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 73

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 8.67% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 98

Stock of domestic credit: $127.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 35

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 36

Current account balance: $7.189 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 150

Exports: $67.67 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 48
Commodities: copper fruit fish products paper and pulp chemicals wine
Partners: China 14.2% US 11.3% Japan 10.4% Brazil 5.9% South Korea 5.7% Netherlands 5.2% Italy 4.4% (2008)

Imports: $44.03 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 48
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products chemicals electrical and telecommunications equipment industrial machinery vehicles natural gas
Partners: US 19.1% China 11.9% Brazil 9.3% Argentina 8.8% South Korea 5.6% Japan 4.6% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $16.84 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 49

Debt external: $55.67 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 47

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $91.49 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 33

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $24.68 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 36

Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (CLP) per US dollar - 509.02 (2008 est.) 526.25 (2007) 530.29 (2006) 560.09 (2005) 609.37 (2004)

Electricity
Production: 60.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 41
Consumption: 57.29 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 43
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 1.628 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 1.65 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 58
Consumption: 2.34 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 79
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 184
Imports: 690 million m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 58
Proven reserves: 97.97 billion m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 53

Telephones
Main lines in use: 3.526 million (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 43
Mobile cellular: 14.797 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 45

Telephone system
General assessment: privatization begun in 1988; most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in South America; modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; fixed-line connections have dropped in recent years as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase reaching a level of 90 telephones per 100 persons
Domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations
International: country code - 56; submarine cables provide links to the US and to Central and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

Internet
Country code: .cl
Hosts: 877,817 (2009)
Hosts rank: 40
Users: 5.456 million (2008)
Users rank: 43

Military expenditures: 2.7% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 57

Military service age and obligation: 18-45 years of age for voluntary male and female military service although the right to compulsory recruitment is retained; service obligation - 12 months for Army 22 months for Navy and Air Force (2008)

Airports: 357 (2009)
Rank: 22
With paved runways total: 81
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 22
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 24
With paved runways under 914 m: 22 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 276
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 50
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 212 (2009)

Pipelines: gas 2,676 km; liquid petroleum gas 519 km; oil 892 km; refined products 769 km (2008)

Railways
Total: 5,481 km
Rank: 33
Broad gauge: 1706 km 1.676-m gauge (850 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 3,777 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 80,505 km
Rank: 58
Paved: 16,745 km (includes 2,414 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 63,760 km (2004)

Merchant marine
Total: 44
Rank: 75
By type: bulk carrier 9 cargo 7 chemical tanker 8 container 1 liquefied gas 2 passenger 4 passenger/cargo 2 petroleum tanker 7 roll on/roll off 1 vehicle carrier 3
Registered in other countries: 40 (Argentina 7 Brazil 1 Cyprus 1 Isle of Man 6 Marshall Islands 4 Norway 2 Panama 12 Singapore 6 Venezuela 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Coronel Huasco Lirquen Puerto Ventanas San Antonio San Vicente Valparaiso

Disputes international: Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reinvigorated claim to restore the Atacama corridor ceded to Chile in 1884 but Chile has offered instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian gas and other commodities; Chile rejects Peru's unilateral legislation to change its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis favoring Peru in October 2007 Peru took its maritime complaint with Chile to the ICJ; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; the joint boundary commission established by Chile and Argentina in 2001 has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur)

Illicit drugs: transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe and the region; some money laundering activity especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising making Chile a significant consumer of cocaine (2008)