December 1993 or January 1994); seats—(120 total)
Concertation of Parties for Democracy 72 (PDC 38, PPD 17, PR 5, other
12), RN 29, UDI 11, right-wing independents 8
_#_Communists: The PCCh is currently in the process of regaining legal party status and has less than 60,000 members
_#_Other political or pressure groups: revitalized university student federations at all major universities dominated by opposition political groups; labor—United Labor Central (CUT) includes trade unionists from the country's five-largest labor confederations; Roman Catholic Church
_#_Member of: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Patricio SILVA Echenique; Chancery at 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 785–1746; there are Chilean Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco;
US—Ambassador Charles A. GILLESPIE, Jr.; Embassy at Codina Building, 1343 Agustinas, Santiago (mailing address is APO Miami 34033); telephone [56] (2) 710133 or 710190, 710326, 710375
_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center; design was based on the US flag
_*Economy #_Overview: In 1990 economic growth slowed from an average of 6.2% for the previous six years to about 1.5% as a result of tight monetary policy aimed at reducing inflation. Monetary policy was not successful at slowing price increases until the end of the year, however, and inflation, stimulated by higher world oil prices, increased to 27.3% in 1990 from 21.4% in 1989. Copper prices held strong in 1990, helping to maintain a balance-of-payments surplus and increase international reserves. Most observers expect that inflationary pressures have run their course and price increases will slow during 1991, contributing to growth of 4–5%.
_#_GDP: $26 billion, per capita $2,000; real growth rate 2.0% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 27.3% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 5.6% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $6.6 billion; expenditures $7.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $575 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $8.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—copper 48%, industrial products 33%, molybdenum, iron ore, wood pulp, fishmeal, fruits;
partners—EC 34%, US 22%, Japan 10%, Brazil 7%
_#_Imports: $7.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—petroleum, wheat, capital goods, spare parts, raw materials;
partners—EC 23%, US 20%, Japan 10%, Brazil 9%
_#_External debt: $18.4 billion (February 1991)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1990); accounts for 30% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 4,138,000 kW capacity; 17,784 million kWh produced, 1,360 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles
_#_Agriculture: accounts for about 8% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); major exporter of fruit, fish, and timber products; major crops—wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, deciduous fruit; livestock products—beef, poultry, wool; self-sufficient in most foods; 1986 fish catch of 5.6 million metric tons net agricultural importer
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70–89), $521 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–88), $1.4 billion; Communist countries (1970–88), $386 million
_#_Currency: Chilean peso (plural—pesos); 1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos
_#_Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1—337.24 (January 1991), 305.06 (1990), 267.16 (1989), 245.05 (1988), 219.54 (1987), 193.02 (1986), 161.08 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 8,613 km total; 4,257 km 1.676-meter gauge, 135 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 4,221 km 1.000-meter gauge; electrification, 1,865 km 1.676-meter gauge, 80 km 1.000-meter gauge
_#_Highways: 79,025 km total; 9,913 km paved, 33,140 km gravel, 35,972 km improved and unimproved earth (1984)
_#_Inland waterways: 725 km
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 755 km; refined products, 785 km; natural gas, 320 km
_#_Ports: Antofagasta, Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Valparaiso, San Antonio, Talcahuano, Arica
_#_Merchant marine: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 485,935 GRT/800,969 DWT; includes 14 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 bulk; note—in addition, 2 naval tanker and 2 military transport are sometimes used commercially
_#_Civil air: 22 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 392 total, 353 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440–3,659 m; 55 with runways 1,220–2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: modern telephone system based on extensive radio relay facilities; 768,000 telephones; stations—159 AM, no FM, 131 TV, 11 shortwave; satellite stations—2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army of the Nation, National Navy (including Naval Air and Marines), Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros of Chile (National Police)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15–49, 3,544,962; 2,647,148 fit for military service; 119,511 reach military age (19) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $737 million, 3% of GNP (1991 est.) % @China (also see separate Taiwan entry) *Geography #_Total area: 9,596,960 km2; land area: 9,326,410 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than the US
_#_Land boundaries: 23,213.34 km total; Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia 4,673 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, USSR 7,520 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
_#_Coastline: 14,500 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: claim to shallow areas of East China Sea and Yellow Sea
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: boundary with India; bilateral negotiations are under way to resolve disputed sections of the boundary with the USSR; a short section of the boundary with North Korea is indefinite; sporadic border clashes with Vietnam; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam; maritime boundary dispute with Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; claims Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands)
_#_Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
_#_Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
_#_Natural resources: coal, iron ore, crude oil, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, world's largest hydropower potential
_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 31%; forest and woodland 14%; other 45%; includes irrigated 5%