CHILE

CHILE

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• Chile officially the Republic of Chile is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

• It borders Peruto the north, Boliviato the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south.
• Chilean territory includes 3 Pacific islands and Easter Island in Oceania.
• Chile also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty.
• Chile may derive its name from the indigenous Mapuche word chilli, which may mean “where the land ends.”
• Chile is a founding member of the United Nations, the Union of South American Nations(UNASUR) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States(CELAC).

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GEO-BIO FACTS

• Chile  is on the west side of the Andes Mountains, The Andes Mountain Range extends the entire length of the country north to south.
• Chile is the longest country in the world from north to south at 2,647 miles (4,620 km) long and extends across 38 degrees of latitude.
• The northern Atacama Desertcontains great mineral wealth, primarily copperand nitrates.
• Chile’s Lago Llanquihue is the second largest lake in South America, after Peru’s Lake Titicaca, at 330 square miles (860 square km). The name means “deep place” in Mapuche.
• The diverse climate of Chileranges from the world's driest desert in the north—the Atacama Desert—through a Mediterranean climatein the center, humid subtropical in Easter Island, to an oceanic climate, including alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and south.
• The flora and fauna of Chile are characterized by a high degree of endemism, due to its particular geography.
• In continental Chile, the Atacama Desertin the north and the Andes mountainsto the east are barriers that have led to the isolation of flora and fauna.
• Chile's geographical isolation has restricted the immigration of faunal life, so that only a few of the many distinctive South American animals are found.
• Among the larger mammals are the pumaor cougar, the llama-like guanacoand the fox-like chilla. In the forest region, several types of marsupials and a small deer known as the pudu are found.

• Chilean Patagonia is one of the cleanest places on the planet.
• The Chilean Andes have more than 2,000 active The largest is Llullaillaco at 22,104 feet .
• Chile’s highest point is Nevada Ojos del Salado at 22,572 feet (6,880 m). It is the world’s highest volcano.

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NATIONAL SYMBOLS

• The national flower is the copihue(Lapageria rosea, Chilean bellflower), which grows in the woods of southern Chile.
• The coat of armsdepicts the two national animals:
  • condor(Vultur gryphus, a very large bird that lives in the mountains)
  • huemul (white tail deer)

• The national dance is the cueca. Another form of traditional Chilean song, though not a dance, is the tonada.

• Rodeois the country's national sportand is practiced in the more rural areas of the nation.
• The Chilean currency is the Chilean peso(CLP).

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DEMOGRAPHIC FACTS

• There are several indigenous languages spoken in Chile: Mapudungun, Quechua, Aymaraand Rapa Nui. But the main language is Spanish.
• The Mapuchepeople were the original inhabitants of southern and central Chile.
• The relatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources.
• Chileans call their country país de poetas — country of poets.
• Gabriela Mistralwas the first Latin American to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature
• Chile's most famous poet is Pablo Neruda, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature (1971) and is world-renowned for his extensive library of works on romance, nature, and politics
• Chile's most popular sport is football.
• Chilean husbands and wives have different last names because women keep their maiden names. If they have the same last names, they are often considered brother and sister.

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ECONOMIC FACTS

• Chile is today one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations.
• It leads Latin Americannations in rankings of human development, competitiveness, income per capita, globalization, state of peace, economic freedom, and low perception of corruption .
• Chile has the highest degree of economic freedomin South America (ranking 7th worldwide), owing to its independent and efficient judicial system and prudent public finance management.
• In May 2010 Chile became the first South American country to join the OECD.
• In 2006, Chile became the country with the highest nominal GDP per capita in Latin America.
• Copper mining makes up 20% of Chilean GDP and 60% of exports.
• Escondidais the largest copper mine in the world, producing over 5% of global supplies. Overall, Chile produces a third of the world’s copper.

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