Chile Population: 16,888,760
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| Background | |
| Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the Inca ruled northern Chile 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, the 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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| Geography | |
| 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; the crater lake of Ojos del Salado is the worlds highest lake (at 6,390m) | |
| Location: | Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru |
| Geographic coordinates: | 30 00 S, 71 00 W |
| Area: | total: 756,102 sq km land: 743,812 sq km water: 12,290 sq km note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez Size comparison: 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 (2008) |
| Natural hazards: | severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis volcanism: Chile experiences significant volcanic activity due to the more than three-dozen active volcanoes situated within the Andes Mountains; Lascar (elev. 5,592 m), which last erupted in 2007, is the most active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes; Llaima (elev. 3,125 m) in central Chile, which last erupted in 2009, is another of the country's most active; Chaiten's 2008 eruption forced major evacuations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Cerro Hudson, Copahue, Guallatiri, Llullaillaco, Nevados de Chillan, Puyehue, San Pedro, and Villarrica |
| Current Environment Issues: | widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage |
| International Environment 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 16,888,760 (July 2011 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 22.3% (male 1,928,210/female 1,840,839) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 5,751,091/female 5,744,014) 65 years and over: 9.6% (male 680,450/female 944,156) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 32.1 years male: 31.1 years female: 33.1 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.836% (2011 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 14.33 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Death rate: | 5.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/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 (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 7.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.7 years male: 74.44 years female: 81.13 years (2011 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.88 children born/woman (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.4% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 40,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Chilean(s) adjective: Chilean |
| Ethnic groups: | white and white-Amerindian 95.4%, Mapuche 4%, other indigenous groups 0.6% (2002 census) |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census) |
| Languages: | Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English |
| Literacy: | 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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| Government | |
| 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 third Sunday in August; ends second Sunday in May; note - the end of DST was delayed until 8 May 2011 due to the ongoing energy crisis note: Valparaiso is the seat of the national legislature |
| 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 several times |
| Legal system: | civil law system influenced by several West European civil legal systems; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Sebastian PINERA Echenique (since 11 March 2010); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Sebastian PINERA Echenique (since 11 March 2010) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held on 13 December 2009 with runoff election held on 17 January 2010 (next to be held in December 2013) election results: Sebastian PINERA Echenique elected president; percent of vote - Sebastian PINERA Echenique 51.6%; Eduardo FREI 48.4% |
| 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 on 13 December 2009 (next to be held in December 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 13 December 2009 (next to be held in December 2013) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 9 (PDC 4, PPD 3, PS 2), APC 9 (RN 6, UDI 3); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 58 (UDI 37, RN 18, other 3), CPD 57 (PDC 19, PPD 18, PS 11, PRSD 5, PC 3, other 1), PRI 3, independent 2 |
| 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: | Broad Social Movement or MAS; Clean Chile Vote Happy or CLVF (including Broad Social Movement, Country Force, and Regionalist Party of Independents or PRI); Coalition for Change or CC (formerly known as the Alliance for Chile (Alianza) or APC) (including National Renewal or RN [Carlos LARRAIN Pena], Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Juan Antonio COLOMA Correa], and Chile First [Vlado MIROSEVIC]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy (Concertacion) or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Ignacio WALKER], Party for Democracy or PPD [Carolina TOHA Morales], Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia], and Socialist Party or PS [Osvaldo ANDRADE]); Partido Ecologista del Sur; Together We Can Do More (including Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER del Valle], and Humanist Party or PH [Danilo MONTEVERDE]) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Roman Catholic Church, particularly conservative groups such as Opus Dei; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations other: revitalized university student federations at all major universities |
| International organization participation: | APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CD, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, 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, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo FERMANDOIS Vohringer chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1746 FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Alejandro D. WOLFF embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago mailing address: APO AA 34033 telephone: [56] (2) 330-3000 FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710, 330-3160 |
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| Economy | |
| 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 more than one-fourth 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. Since 1999, 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 seven years, foreign direct investment inflows have quadrupled to some $15 billion in 2010, but FDI had dropped to about $7 billion in 2009 in the face of diminished investment throughout the world. 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. Chile used $4 billion from this fund to finance a fiscal stimulus package to fend off recession. In December 2009, the OECD invited Chile to become a full member, after a two year period of compliance with organization mandates, and in May 2010 Chile signed the OECD Convention, becoming the first South American country to join the OECD. The economy started to show signs of a rebound in the fourth quarter of 2009, and GDP grew more than 5% in 2010. Chile achieved this growth despite the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile in February 2010, which was one of the top ten strongest earthquakes on record. The earthquake and subsequent tsunamis it generated caused considerable damage near the epicenter, located about 70 miles from Concepcion - and about 200 miles southwest of Santiago. The Chilean Ministry of Finance estimates the total immediate losses were close to 17% of GDP. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $257.9 billion (2010 est.) $245 billion (2009 est.) $249.2 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $203.3 billion (2010 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 5.3% (2010 est.) -1.7% (2009 est.) 3.7% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $15,400 (2010 est.) $14,800 (2009 est.) $15,100 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 5.1% industry: 41.8% services: 53.1% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 7.918 million (2010 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 13.2% industry: 23% services: 63.9% (2005) |
| Unemployment rate: | 7.1% (2010 est.) 9.6% (2009 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 11.5% (2009) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 1.5% highest 10%: 42.5% (2009) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 52.1 (2009) 57.1 (2000) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.4% (2010 est.) 1.5% (2009 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 20.9% of GDP (2010 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $45.65 billion expenditures: $46.26 billion (2010 est.) |
| Public debt: | 9.2% of GDP (2010 est.) 6.2% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber |
| Industries: | copper, lithium, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles |
| Industrial production growth rate: | -0.5% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 60.28 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 56.35 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 818 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 10,640 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 302,700 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 52,390 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 305,100 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 150 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 1.35 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 2.84 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 1.49 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 97.97 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $3.802 billion (2010 est.) $2.57 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports: | $71.03 billion (2010 est.) $54 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine |
| Exports - partners: | China 23.8%, Japan 10.2%, US 10%, Brazil 6%, South Korea 5.9% (2010) |
| Imports: | $55.17 billion (2010 est.) $39.89 billion (2009 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas |
| Imports - partners: | US 17%, China 13.6%, Argentina 8.5%, Brazil 7.9%, South Korea 5.8%, Japan 5%, Germany 4% (2010) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $27.83 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $25.29 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $84.03 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $71.65 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $137.4 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $121.6 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $49.69 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $41.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $341.6 billion (31 December 2010) $209.5 billion (31 December 2009) $132.4 billion (31 December 2008) |
| Exchange rates: | Chilean pesos (CLP) per US dollar - 525.34 (2010) 560.86 (2009) 509.02 (2008) 526.25 (2007) 530.29 (2006) |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 3.575 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 44 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 16.45 million (2009) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: privatization begun in 1988; most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in South America; modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations domestic: number of fixed-line connections have stagnated in recent years as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase, reaching a level of 100 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 56; landing points for the Pan American, South America-1, and South American Crossing/Latin America Nautilius submarine cables providing links to the US and to Central and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2009) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .cl |
| Internet hosts: | 1.056 million (2010) |
| Internet users: | 7.009 million (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 366 (2010) country comparison to the world: 22 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 84 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 24 (2010) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 282 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 50 under 914 m: 217 (2010) |
| Pipelines: | gas 3,064 km; liquid petroleum gas 517 km; oil 895 km; refined products 768 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 7,082 km broad gauge: 3,435 km 1.676-m gauge (850 km electrified) narrow gauge: 3,647 km 1.000-m gauge (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 80,505 km paved: 16,745 km (includes 2,414 km of expressways) unpaved: 63,760 km (2004) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 48 by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 10, chemical tanker 8, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Norway 1) registered in other countries: 48 (Argentina 6, Belize 1, Brazil 1, Cyprus 1, Isle of Man 8, Liberia 7, Panama 17, Singapore 7) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Coronel, Huasco, Lirquen, Puerto Ventanas, San Antonio, San Vicente, Valparaiso |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Army of the Nation, Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACh), Carabineros Corps (Cuerpo de Carabineros) (2011) |
| 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) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 4,324,732 females age 16-49: 4,251,954 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 3,621,475 females age 16-49: 3,561,099 (2010 est.) |
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