Chile

A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, which ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, first implemented by the PINOCHET dictatorship, led to unprecedented growth in 1991-97 and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Growth slowed in 1998-99, but will likely recover in 2000.

• temperate;
• desert in north;
• Mediterranean in central region;
• cool and damp in south

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

• severe earthquakes;
• active volcanism;
• tsunamis

party to:

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

• 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

0-14 years:

28% (male 2,137,826; female 2,044,546)

15-64 years:

65% (male 4,919,060; female 4,958,030)

65 years and over:

7% (male 453,234; female 641,101) (2000 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

noun:

Chilean(s)

adjective:

Chilean

conventional long form:

Republic of Chile

conventional short form:

Chile

local long form:

Republica de Chile

local short form:

Chile

• 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 (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso

note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

• based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law;
• judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;
• does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

President Ricardo LAGOS Escobar (since 11 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Ricardo LAGOS Escobar (since 11 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
• election last held 12 December 1999, with runoff election held 16 January 2000 (next to be held NA December 2005)

election results:

Ricardo LAGOS Escobar elected president; percent of vote - Ricardo LAGOS Escobar 51.32%, Joaquin LAVIN 48.68%

• Chile 2000 - main party is UCCP [Alejandro GARCIA-HUIDBORO];
• Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Gutenberg MARTINEZ];
• Coalition of Parties for Democracy ("Concertacion") or CPD [Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle] - including PDC, PS, PPD, PRSD;
• Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Pablo LONGUEIRA];
• National Renewal or RN [Alberto CARDEMIL];
• Party for Democracy or PPD [Sergio BITAR];
• Party of the South or PS [leader NA];
• Progressive Center-Center Union or UCCP [Francisco Javier ERRAZURIZ];
• Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Anselmo SULE];
• Socialist Party or PS [Ricardo NUNEZ];
• Union for the Progress of Chile ("Alliance for Chile") or UPP [Arturo ALESSANDRI Besa] - including RN and UDI

• revitalized university student federations at all major universities;
• Roman Catholic Church;
• United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mario ARTAZA

chancery:

1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 785-1746

FAX:

[1] (202) 887-5579

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

chief of mission:

Ambassador John O'LEARY

embassy:

Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Santiago

mailing address:

APO AA 34033

telephone:

[56] (2) 232-2600

FAX:

[56] (2) 330-3710

• 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

lowest 10%:

1.2%

highest 10%:

41.3% (1998)

• wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, fruit;
• beef, poultry, wool;
• fish;
• timber

total:

6,782 km

broad gauge:

3,743 km 1.676-m gauge (1,653 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

116 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,923 km 1.000-m gauge (40 km electrified) (1995)

total:

79,800 km

paved:

11,012 km

unpaved:

68,788 km (1996 est.)

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

total:

45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 580,749 GRT/860,034 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 11, cargo 9, chemical tanker 8, container 2, liquified gas 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll-on/roll-off 4, vehicle carrier 2 (1999 est.)

• 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 and British claims

• a growing transshipment country for cocaine destined for the US and Europe;
• economic prosperity has made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits;
• imported precursors passed on to Bolivia;
• domestic cocaine consumption is rising [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]