Chile

The word chile may also mean Chilli pepper.

The Republic of Chile is a republic located on the southwestern coast of South America. It is a long and narrow piece of land between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It shares borders with Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.

República de Chile
Flag of Chile Chile: Coat of Arms
(In Detail) (Full size)
National motto: Por la razón o la fuerza
("By reason or by force")
Image:LocationChile.png
Official language Spanish
Capital Santiago¹
President Ricardo Lagos Escobar
Area
 - Total
 - % water 		Ranked 37th
756,950 km² ²
1.07%
Population
 - Total (2002)
 - Density 		Ranked 61st
15,116,435
20/km²
Independence
 - Initiated
 - Formally declared 		From Spain
September 18, 1810
February 12, 1818
Currency Peso
Time zone UTC -4
National anthem Himno Nacional
Internet TLD .cl
Calling Code 56
(1) Although the Congress is located in Valparaíso (2) Chile claims 1,250,000 km² of Antarctica
Contents

History

Main article: History of Chile

In 1531 the Spanish conquered Peru from the Incas. One of the Conquistadors in that voyage was Diego de Almagro. He left in 1535 to the South of Peru after territorial disputes. He is credited with being the first European to explore the coast of Chile. However he did not leave any lasting marks on the territory. It was not until the voyage of Pedro de Valdivia 1540-41 that a permanent Spanish presence was established. Valdivia founded a string of villages on his way south. Finally, on 12 February 1541 he founded Santiago.

Although possessed by the Spanish crown until the late 1810s, since gaining its independence Chile has had a remarkably stable institutional life considering the Latin American context, with only a handful of interruptions, the most recent being the coup of 1973 and the very long subsequent de facto government.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Chile

The country's current constitution was adopted in 1980 during the military government led by Augusto Pinochet and increased the power of the president and institutionalized the participation of the commanders in chief of the armed forced. After Pinochet's defeat on the 1988 referendum, several amendments were made, decreasing the power of the president and reducing the influence of the armed forces. As of 2004, discussions about further reforms continue, but have a low priority.

The Executive Branch is headed by the president of the republic. Since March 11, 2000, the President is Ricardo Lagos of the Socialist Party. The President also appoints the cabinet members. The President is chosen for a 6-year term and cannot be immediately re-elected.

The Judicial Branch has the Supreme court as its highest institution. For questions related to the constitution there is the Constitutional Court, which also has the right to veto laws that it considers go against the constitution.

The Legislative Branch is made up of 2 chambers.

  • The Senate has 38 members elected by popular vote, nine appointed from various institutions such as the National Security Council and the judicial system and the President of the Republic, and the former presidents of the republic. The elected Senators are chosen for eight year terms in a bi-nominal election system that favors the two largest political blocks.
  • The Chamber of Deputies has 120 members, all of whom are universally chosen. Deputies serve 4-year terms.

For any law to be passed, it must pass through both chambers and be approved by the president of the republic (who has a limited veto right). The chambers and the president can all propose new laws, but there are certain matters which only the president can initiate.

Although there are some known cases of corruption in Chile, there is no rampant abuse of power by public officials. It is considered the least corrupt place in Latin America - ranked during the last decade consistently among the top 30 more transparent countries of the world - and not coincidentally, one with a relatively strong rule of law.

Regions

Main article: Regions of Chile

Chile is divided into 13 regions, each of which is headed by an intendente. Every region is further divided into provinces with a Gobernador provincial. Finally each province is divided into various Comunas each with its own mayor. Intendentes and gobernadores are appointed by the president, mayors are elected by popular vote.

Each region is designated by a name and a Roman numeral. Numbers are assigned from north to south. In general the Roman numeral is used, rather than the name. The only exception is the region where Santiago is situated, which is designated RM, that stands for Región Metropolitana, Metropolitan Region.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Chile

Map of Chile
Enlarge
Map of Chile

A long and narrow coastal region on the west side of the Andes Mountains, Chile stretches over 4,630 km (2,880 miles) north to south, but only 430 km (265 mi) at its widest point east to west.

The climate varies greatly, with subtropical conditions in Rapa Nui Island (Easter Island); extremely arid conditions in the Atacama desert in the northern third of the territory; fertile conditions in middle region valleys; and cold and damp in the south, originally covered by forest. The Mediterranean quality of the central valley made it ideal for the cultivation of table fruits, which are one of Chile's main exports, and the production of wine, also a growing export.

Two interesting geographical facts are that Chile is the longest (N-S) country in the world (over 4,200km), and that it claims a section of Antarctica that is on the same longitudinal lines as itself.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Chile

The economy is mostly export driven. Its main export product still continues to be copper, followed by agribusiness products. However this is not nearly as important (40% of total value exported) as it was 30 years ago (70% of exports). Recently Chile has also started exporting products such as fine wines from various regions, salmon and wood pulp. Though the country is not as industrialized as developed countries, it is one of the most industrialized nations in Latin America.

While the main industry of the northern part of Chile is mostly mining related, the southern half has quite an extensive agricultural and dairy industry. The central zone is dedicated mostly to services and industry, with the main harbor, Valparaíso, also situated in this part of the country.

Chile has a large service sector and has one of the world's most liberalized and modern telecommunications infrastructures. Tourism is also still expanding in Chile. People are attracted to the rugged beauty of the southern woodlands, the emptiness of the northern desert plains and the skiing season in the Andes mountains (May to September).

In the boom years of the 1990s, annual economic growth was in the 7 to 12% range. After the Asian financial crisis in 1997, economic growth has slowed to a steady 3% per year.

Recently, Chile has signed Free Trade Agreements with many countries and trade blocks like the European Union, USA, Canada, Mexico and South Korea and is currently negotiating more FTA's with countries like New Zealand and Singapore.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Chile

The population of Chile is mostly white and mestizo, with Pre-Columbian indigenous groups remaining in the south, on Easter Island, and in the mountains in the north. European immigration soared in the 1800's—although not as much as regional neighbors Argentina and Brazil—from mostly Spain, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Palestine and smaller numbers from Eastern Europe and Ireland.

The level of education is high, and Chileans are proud of having two winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature: Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda (both being poets).

Culture

Main article: Culture of Chile

See also: Music of Chile

National symbols

A red copihue
Enlarge
A red copihue

The national flower is the copihue (Lapageria rosea, Chilean bellflower), which grows in the woods of southern Chile.

Chile's Coat of Arms
Enlarge
Chile's Coat of Arms

The coat of arms depicts the two national animals: the condor (Vultur gryphus, a very large bird that lives in the mountains) and the huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus, an endangered white tail deer). It also has the legend Por la razón o la fuerza (By reason or by force).

Miscellaneous topics

International rankings

Reference

  • Much of the material in these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.

External links


Countries in South America
Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Ecuador | Guyana | Paraguay | Peru | Suriname | Uruguay | Venezuela
Dependencies: Falkland Islands | French Guiana



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