Chile:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Chile:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	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.

Location	Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
Geographic coordinates	30 00 S, 71 00 W
Map references	South America
Area	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
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Land boundaries	total: 6,339 km border countries: 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 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 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards	severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
Environment - current issues	widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage
Environment - 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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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