temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south
Terrain:
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m
Natural resources:
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 2.62%
permanent crops: 0.43%
other: 96.95% (2005)
Irrigated land:
19,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
922 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 12.55 cu km/yr (11%/25%/64%)
per capita: 770 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
volcanism: Chile experiences significant volcanic activity due to the more than three-dozen active volcanoes situated within the Andes Mountains; Lascar (elev. 5,592 m, 18,346 ft), which last erupted in 2007, is the most active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes; Llaima (elev. 3,125 m, 10,253 ft) in central Chile, which last erupted in 2009, is another of the country's most active; Chaiten's 2008 eruption forced major evacuations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Cerro Hudson, Copahue, Guallatiri, Llullaillaco, Nevados de Chillan, San Pedro, and Villarrica
Environment - current issues:
widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions
People ::Chile
Population:
16,746,491 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 60
Age structure:
0–14 years: 23.2% (male 1,966,017/female 1,877,963)
15–64 years: 67.8% (male 5,625,963/female 5,628,146)
65 years and over: 9.1% (male 627,746/female 875,872) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 31.7 years
male: 30.7 years
female: 32.8 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.856% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Birth rate:
14.46 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Death rate:
5.9 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 169
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population country comparison to the world: 77
Urbanization:
urban population: 88% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.52 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 164 male: 8.29 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.53 years country comparison to the world: 56 male: 74.26 years
female: 80.96 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.9 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 143
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 85
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
31,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 72
Nationality:
noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean
Ethnic groups:
white and white-Amerindian 95.4%, Mapuche 4%, other indigenous groups 0.6% (2002 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other
Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census)
Languages:
Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.7%
male: 95.8%
female: 95.6% (2002 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 14 years (2007)
Education expenditures:
3.4% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 135
Government ::Chile
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Chile
conventional short form: Chile
local long form: Republica de Chile
local short form: Chile
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Santiago
geographic coordinates: