One of the most fascinating countries in South America, Chile offers geographic extremes and natural wonders from the world’s driest desert to the mountains and glaciers in the Patagonia region. Situated between the Andes mountain range and the Pacific Ocean, Chile borders on Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Here are some interesting facts about Chile:

Chile is 4 300 km long, but never more than a few hundred kilometers wide. The Atacama desert in the north of Chile is the most arid desert in the world. But Chile also has dozens of active volcanoes, forests and vineyards, a beautiful coastline and the stunning Patagonia region with its mountains, glaciers, icebergs and islands.

Chile has a population of 16.8 million people. Approximately 75 % of Chileans are mestizos (mixed Spanish and indigenous descent) and the remaining part are of European descent or Aracanian Indian. The main language spoken in Chile is Spanish, and the major religion is Christianity.

Chile was inhabited by native peoples, until the Spanish invaded in 1536. Chile has been independent since 1817.Chile’s capital Santiago is also the country’s largest city. Over 40 % of Chile’s population lives in the capital. The monetary unit in Chile is the Chilean peso.

Chile’s economy is one of the strongest in South America. It was the fastest growing economy in Latin America in the 1990’s and avoided the worst of the economic crisis that hit many other countries in the region. Chile’s economy is largely dependent on copper production.

The current president, Michelle Bachelet, is Chile’s first female president. A former health minister and then defense minister, she has emphasized social issues, and one of her biggest challenges is uneven wealth distribution. Bachelet represents the Concertacion coalition that has been in power in Chile since the end of the 17-year Pinochet military dictatorship.

Chile is considered to have a generally good press freedom. A press freedom act in 2001 got rid of many restrictions on the country’s media that were imposed by the former military dictatorship.

Salvador Allende, elected as Chile’s president in 1970, was the first Marxist elected as president in Latin America. He was overthrown on September 11th in 1973 in a coup that led to the 17-th year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, one of South Americas most famous military dictators. A national referendum in 1988 and elections in the following year led to democracy in Chile and Pinochet’s removal from power. Pinochet died in 2006 at the age of 91, but due to concerns over his health, he never stood trial for the 3000 deaths and disappearances that occurred during his dictatorship.

Sources:

The BBC

The Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Lonely Planet