The Chilean territory is located to the southwest of South America, between the meridians 17° 30'and the 90° South latitude. Its continental longitude is about 4.200 kilometers and 8.000kms., when including the Chilean Antarctica. There are some islands like the Rapa Nui Island or "Rapa Nui", the Archipelago Juan Fernández and the islands San Félix, San Ambrosio, Sala and Gomez that are also part of our country, apart from the 200-mile territorial waters and the corresponding continental shelf.
Chile is bounded by the North with Perú, by the East with Bolivia and Argentina, by the West with the Pacific Ocean and by the South with the South Pole.
The continental and insular surface of Chile is 756.626 square kilometers. The Antarctic territory has a surface of 1.250.000 square kilometers, so the total Chilean surface is 2.006.626 square kilometers. The average width of Chile is 177 kilometers; the minimum continental width is 90 kilometers, and is located to the northern mouth of the Río Choapa.
The estimated population for the year 2002 is over 15.000.000 inhabitants; its density of population is 19.3 inhabitants per square kilometer and the average age is 26.5 years old.
According to the data recorded from the population census, the 76,7 per cent of the Chilean inhabitants are Catholics; the 13,25 per cent are Protestant; the 5,8 per cent profess no religion; and other religions are professed by a 4.3 per cent of the population.
Similarly
to the territory, the Chilean Climate is varied, as it is determined
by the latitude, the proximity to the sea and the altitude. Generally
speaking, there are two mountain ranges that stretch along the country,
the Coastal and the Andean, in the middle of which there is a Central
Valley, that submerges to the South, at the Corcovado Gulf, which gives
origin to a zone of archipelagoes, peninsulas and fjords that end at
the Cape Horn, the end of the continent.
From the boundary with Perú to the Río Copiapó,
there is a desert-like plain, with scarce rainfall and an average temperature
of 16°C, which goes down on the way to the Andean Cordillera. From
the south of this river to the Río Aconcagua, the average temperature
is 15°C, and the rainfall increases slightly to an average of 113mm.
From the Río Aconcagua to the Río Bío-Bío,
the precipitation increases mainly in winter, with an average of 360mm
and an average temperature of 14°C. To the south of this river up
to the Corcovado Gulf, the average temperatures go down, in this case
they reach 12°C, and the rainfall increases, between 943 and 2.488mm.
From the Corcovado Gulf to the Cape Horn, the average temperature is
only 9°C, with a rainfall of 2.820mm.
The current Chilean Constitution was created in 1980. Under this Constitution,
the State is divided into 3 branches: The Executive, The Legislative
and The Judiciary.
The Executive is headed by the President of the Chilean Republic, who
is elected by popular voting every 6 years. The Legislative System is
formed by a bicameral Congress, with 47 members (Senate) and the Cámara
de Diputador (Chamber of Deputies), formed by 120 deputies.
For Administrative purposes the Chilean State consists of 13 regions
that are, from the north to the south, the following: Tarapacá,
Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Region of the Libertador
Bernardo O'Higgins, Maule, Bio-bío, Araucanía, Los Lagos,
Region of Aysén del general Carlos Ibañez del Campo, Magallanes
and the Chilean Antarctica and the Metropolitan Region. Each one of
these has an Intendente (Intendant), who is appointed by the President
of the Republic.
Apart from this, there are 50 provinces headed by a Governor, who is
also designated by the President of the Republic and 341 Municipios
(Municipalities), headed by an Alcalde (Mayor) and a number of consejales
(counselors) who are also elected by popular voting every 4 years.
Apart from Santiago, the capital city, which has 5.257.937 inhabitants, the most important Chilean cities are: Antofagasta (225.316 inhabitants), Concepción (800.000), Temuco (210.587 inhabitants) Valparaíso / Viña del Mar (566.992 inhabitants), the main Chilean port, located 120 kilometers away to the west of Santiago and Puerto Montt (110.139 inhabitants).
The official language is Spanish, however, there are other native tongues
that are currently in use, like the Mapudungún (or Mapuche),
the Quechua and the Rapa Nui.
Furthermore, most of the staff of tourist services speak English, and
some of them German and French.
The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), is the organization in charge of the protection of the natural patrimony of Chile, through a protected territory that includes about 14 millions of hectares, equivalent to the 19 per cent of the national territory, which is made up of 94 units, distributed in 31 National Parks, 48 Natural Reservations and 15 Natural Monuments.
Chile has an Environmental Policy for the Maintenance Development, approved in January, 1998 and also has an organization in charge of its fulfillment, called the CONAMA, Comisión Nacional del Medio Ambiente, (The National Environmental Commission), the principles of which are focused on the people's life quality improvement, the complementarity between the socioeconomic development, the environmental maintenance, the social equity and the poverty overcoming.
According to the latest archeological researches, the national territory has been inhabited for more than 10.000 B.C. years. During the XVI century, part of the country belonged to the Inca empire, which was discovered and conquered by the Spaniards during this century. The country becomes independent from Spain, since the declaration of the Primera Junta Nacional de Gobierno in 1810, which ends with the Declaration of Independence, on February 2nd, 1818.
Some figures and important information
Gross National Product (GNP): $ 2.173.368.000 (pesos 2001)
Income per capita : US$ 4.451 (in 1999)
Illiteracy : 4.6% (in 1998)
Number of Public Libraries : 299 (in 2000)
Number of Museums : There are about 100 museums, from which 26
depend on the Government, through the Dirección de Bibliotecas,
Archivos y Museos, DIBAM. There are also important museums managed by
universities, institutions and municipalities.
Number of Radio Stations : 172 (AM); 967 (FM) (All over the country,
in 2000)
Number of TV Channels : 11 (including the regional channels)
Number of Domestic Newspapers : 25, from which 16 are regional.
January
1 New Year
March or April Holy Week
May 1 Labor Day
May 21 Navy Day
June 2 Corpus Christi
June 29 St. Peter & St. Paul
August 15 Assumption Day
September 18 Independence Day
September 19 Army Day
October 12 Columbus Day
November 1 All Souls Day
December 8 Immaculate Conception
December 25 Christmas
