Chile

Location

• Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
• note 1: Chile is the longest country north-to-south in the world, extending across 39 degrees of latitudenote 2: Chile is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakesnote 3: the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile is the driest desert in the world; Ojos del Salado (6,893 m) in the Atacama Desert is the highest active volcano in the world, Chile's tallest mountain, and the second-highest in the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere; the volcano's small crater lake is the world's highest lake at 6,390 m

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Santiago	4,837,295	Capital
Puente Alto	568,106
Maipú	503,635
Antofagasta	401,096
Viña del Mar	294,551
Valparaíso	282,448
Ñuñoa	255,823
Talcahuano	252,968
San Bernardo	249,858
Puerto Montt	245,902

Size

• 292,258 square miles
• 756,950 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

History

Indigenous groups inhabited central and southern Chile for several thousand years, living in mixed pastoralist and settled communities. The Inca then ruled the north of the country for nearly a century prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. In 1541, the Spanish established the Captaincy General of Chile, which lasted until Chile declared its independence in 1810. The subsequent struggle with the Spanish became tied to other South American independence conflicts, with a decisive victory not being achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia to win its current northernmost regions. By the 1880s, the Chilean central government cemented its control over the central and southern regions inhabited by Mapuche Indigenous peoples. Between 1891 and 1973, a series of elected governments succeeded each other until the Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 in a military coup led by General Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a democratically elected president was inaugurated in 1990. Economic reforms that were maintained consistently since the 1980s contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and 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.

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

Languages

Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, Indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua, Rapa Nui), other 2.3%, unspecified 0.2%  (2012 est.)major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

Religions

Catholic 57%, none 25.7%, Evangelical or Protestant 16.2%, other Christians and traditions related to Christ 1.3%; less than 1%: Buddhist, Catholic Orthodox, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Islam, Judaism, other religions, no religion (2024)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: many previous; latest adopted 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; in September 2022 and again in December 2023, referendums presented for a new constitution were both defeated, and the September 1980 constitution remains in forceamendment process: proposed by members of either house of the National Congress or by the president of the republic; passage requires at least four-sevenths majority vote of the membership in both houses and approval by the president; passage of amendments to constitutional articles, such as the republican form of government, basic rights and freedoms, the Constitutional Tribunal, electoral justice, the Council of National Security, or the constitutional amendment process, requires at least four-sevenths majority vote by both houses of Congress and approval by the president; the president can opt to hold a referendum when Congress and the president disagree on an amendment
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system influenced by several Western European civil legal systems; Constitutional Tribunal reviews legislative acts
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022)head of government: President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a single 4-year termmost recent election date: 21 November 2021, with a runoff held on 19 December 2021election results: 2021: Gabriel BORIC elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jose Antonio KAST (FSC) 27.9%; Gabriel BORIC (AD) 25.8%; Franco PARISI (PDG) 12.8%; Sebastian SICHEL (ChP+) 12.8%; Yasna PROVOSTE (New Social Pact) 11.6%; other 9.1%; percent of vote in second round - Gabriel BORIC 55.9%; Jose Antonio KAST 44.1%2017: Sebastian PINERA Echenique elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Sebastian PINERA Echenique (independent) 36.6%; Alejandro GUILLIER (independent) 22.7%; Beatriz SANCHEZ (independent) 20.3%; Jose Antonio KAST (independent) 7.9%; Carolina GOIC (PDC) 5.9%; Marco ENRIQUEZ-OMINAMI (PRO) 5.7%; other 0.9%; percent of vote in second round - Sebastian PINERA Echenique 54.6%, Alejandro GUILLIER 45.4%expected date of next election: 23 November 2025 (a runoff, if needed, will take place on 20 December 2025)note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (consists of a court president and 20 members); Constitutional Court (consists of 10 members and is independent of the rest of the judiciary); Elections Qualifying Court (consists of 5 members)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president and judges (ministers) appointed by the president of the republic and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 70; Constitutional Court members appointed - 3 by the Supreme Court, 3 by the president of the republic, 2 by the Chamber of Deputies, and 2 by the Senate; members serve 9-year terms with partial membership replacement every 3 years (the court reviews constitutionality of legislation); Elections Qualifying Court members appointed by lottery - 1 by the former president or vice president of the Senate and 1 by the former president or vice president of the Chamber of Deputies, 2 by the Supreme Court, and 1 by the Appellate Court of Valparaiso; members appointed for 4-year termssubordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; oral criminal tribunals; military tribunals; local police courts; specialized tribunals and courts in matters such as family, labor, customs, taxes, and electoral affairs
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Congress (Congreso Nacional)legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• export-driven economy; leading copper producer; though hit by COVID-19, fairly quick rebound from increased liquidity and rapid vaccine rollouts; decreasing poverty but still lingering inequality; public debt rising but still manageable; recent political violence has had negative economic consequences
• Budget: revenues: $77.003 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $85.024 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower
• Industries: copper, lithium, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles
• Agricultural Products: grapes, milk, apples, wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, chicken, maize, sugar beets, pork (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 14.3% (2022 est.)arable land: 1.7% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.7% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 11.8% (2022 est.)forest: 24.8% (2022 est.)other: 60.9% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, garments, trucks (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 23%, USA 20%, Brazil 10%, Argentina 7%, Germany 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: copper ore, refined copper, fish, carbonates, pitted fruits (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 39%, USA 16%, Japan 7%, S. Korea 6%, Brazil 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports