Chile

republicIndependence 18 September 1810 (from Spain)

Chile as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 75 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalSantiago
Area756,950 km2
1992

Every edition of Chile

Populationas each edition published it
13.53 million July 1992 · 13.08m in 1990
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 1.54% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 29.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 74.15 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.5 children per woman 1992 · 2.5 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
17 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 18 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $2,550 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 10.4% in 1993

Geography

13 fields
Total area
756,950km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Coastline
6,435km
Contiguous zone: 24 nmContinental shelf: 200 nmExclusive economic zone: 200 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
6,171km
Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km

Land area

748,800 km2; includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez

Disputes

  • short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is indefinite;
  • Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884;
  • dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights;
  • territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine claim

Climate

  • temperate;
  • desert in north;
  • cool and damp in south

Terrain

  • low coastal mountains;
  • fertile central valley;
  • rugged Andes in east

Natural resources

copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum

Land use

  • arable land 7%;
  • permanent crops NEGL%;
  • meadows and pastures 16%;
  • forest and woodland 21%;
  • other 56%;
  • includes irrigated 2%

Environment

  • subject to severe earthquakes, active volcanism, tsunami;
  • Atacama Desert one of world's driest regions;
  • desertification

Note

strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)

People

14 fields
Population
13,528,945
(July 1992), growth rate 1.6% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth
21Death
6Net migration
0

Ethnic divisions

European and European-Indian 95%Indian 3%other 2%
Literacy
93%
(male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Infant mortality rate

17 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth

71 years male, 77 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate

2.5 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality

noun - Chilean(s); adjective - Chilean

Religions

Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, and small Jewish population

Languages

Spanish

Labor force

  • 4,728,000;
  • services 38.3% (includes government 12%);
  • industry and commerce 33.8%;
  • agriculture, forestry, and fishing 19.2%;
  • mining 2.3%;
  • construction 6.4% (1990)

Organized labor

13% of labor force (1990)

Government

Republic

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

55.2%
Patricio AYLWIN (PDC) 55.2%Hernan BUCHI 29.4%other 15.4%

Long-form name

Republic of Chile

Type

republic

Capital

Santiago

Administrative divisions

  • 13 regions (regiones, singular - region);
  • Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana, Tarapaca, Valparaiso;
  • note - the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Independence

18 September 1810 (from Spain)

Constitution

11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 30 July 1989

National holiday

Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

Executive branch

president, Cabinet

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Patricio AYLWIN Azocar (since 11 March 1990)

Political parties and leaders

  • Concertation of Parties for Democracy now consists mainly of five parties - Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle;
  • Party for Democracy (PPD), Erich SCHNAKE;
  • Radical Party (PR), Carlos GONZALEZ Marquez;
  • Social Democratic Party (PSP), Roberto MUNOZ Barros;
  • Socialist Party (PS), Ricardo NUNEZ;
  • National Renovation (RN), Andres ALLAMAND;
  • Independent Democratic Union (UDI), Julio DITTBORN;
  • Center-Center Union (UCC), Francisco Juner ERRAZURIZA;
  • Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), Volodia TEITELBOIM;
  • Movement of Revolutionary Left (MIR) is splintered, no single leader

Suffrage

universal and compulsory at age 18

Elections

Chamber of Deputies:
  • last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or January 1994);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • 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
President:
last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or January 1994); results - Patricio AYLWIN (PDC) 55.2%, Hernan BUCHI 29.4%, other 15.4%
Senate:
  • last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or January 1994);
  • results - percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats - (46 total, 38 elected) Concertation of Parties for Democracy 22 (PDC 13, PPD 5, PR 2, PSD 1, PRSD 1), RN 6, UDI 2, independents 8

Communists

The PCCh has 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, WFTV, 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 Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
US:
  • Ambassador Curtis KAMMAN;
  • Embassy at Codina Building, 1343 Agustinas, Santiago (mailing address is APO AA 34033);
  • telephone [56] (2) 671-0133;
  • FAX [56] (2) 699-1141

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

The government of President Aylwin, which took power in 1990, has opted to | retain the orthodox economic policies of Pinochet, although the share of | spending for social welfare has risen slightly.

16 fields
External debt
$16.2billion
(October 1991)

Budget

Revenues
$7.6 billionExpenditures
$8.3 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $772 million (1991 est.)

Overview

The government of President Aylwin, which took power in 1990, has opted to retain the orthodox economic policies of Pinochet, although the share of spending for social welfare has risen slightly. In 1991 growth in GDP recovered to 5.5% (led by consumer spending) after only 2.1% growth in 1990.

The tight monetary policy of 1990 helped cut the rate of inflation from 27.3% in 1990 to 18.7% in 1991. Despite a 12% drop in copper prices, the trade surplus rose in 1991, and international reserves increased. Inflationary pressures are not expected to ease much in 1992, and economic growth is likely to approach 7%.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $30.5 billion, per capita $2,300; real growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.)

Exports

$8.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:
copper 50%, other metals and minerals 7%, wood products 6.5%, fish and fishmeal 9%, fruits 5% (1989)
partners:
EC 36%, US 18%, Japan 14%, Brazil 6% (1989)

Imports

$7.4 billion (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:
petroleum, wheat, capital goods, spare parts, raw materials
partners:
EC 20%, US 20%, Japan 11%, Brazil 10% (1989)

Industrial production

growth rate 5.9% (1991 est.); accounts for 36% of GDP

Electricity

5,502,800 kW capacity; 21,470 million kWh produced, 1,616 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles

Agriculture

  • accounts for about 9% 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;
  • 1989 fish catch of 6.1 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 (1970-89), $1.6 billion;
  • Communist countries (1970-89), $386 million

Currency

Chilean peso (plural - pesos); 1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1 - 368.66 (January 1992), 349.37 (1991), 305.06 (1990), 267.16 (1989), 245.05 (1988), 219.54 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Airports, 390 total, 349 usable

permanent-surface runways
48runways | over 3,659 m
nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m
12runways 1,220-2,439 m
58

Networkskm

Highways
79,025 (1984)Railroads
7,766Inland waterways
725
Highways: ; 9,913 km paved, 33,140 km gravel, 35,972 km improved and unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 3,974 km 1.676-meter gauge, 150 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 3,642 km 1.000-meter gauge; electrification, 1,865 km 1.676-meter gauge, 80 km 1.000-meter gauge

Railroads

  • 7,766 km total;
  • 3,974 km 1.676-meter gauge, 150 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 3,642 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)

Pipelines

  • crude oil 755 km;
  • petroleum products 785 km;
  • natural gas 320 km

Ports

Antofagasta, Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Valparaiso, San Antonio, Talcahuano, Arica

Merchant marine

  • 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 468,873 GRT/780,932 DWT;
  • includes 11 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 bulk;
  • note - in addition, 2 naval tanker and 2 military transport are sometimes used commercially

Civil air

29 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

  • modern telephone system based on extensive microwave relay facilities;
  • 768,000 telephones;
  • broadcast stations - 159 AM, no FM, 131 TV, 11 shortwave;
  • satellite ground stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic

Defense Forces

Army of the Nation, National Navy (including Naval Air, Coast Guard, and | Marines), Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros of Chile (National Police), | Investigative Police

3 fields

Branches

Army of the Nation, National Navy (including Naval Air, Coast Guard, and Marines), Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros of Chile (National Police), Investigative Police

Manpower availability

  • males 15-49, 3,600,654;
  • 2,685,924 fit for military service;
  • 118,480 reach military age (19) annually

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1 billion, 3.4% of GDP (1991 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Chile.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/chile/1992.

How to cite ← 1991 edition 1993 edition →