Chile

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

mean elevation:

1,871 m

elevation extremes:

0 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean; 6880 highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado

• 90% of the population is located in the middle third of the country around the capital of Santiago;
• the far north (anchored by the Atacama Desert) and the extreme south are relatively underpopulated

• severe earthquakes;
• active volcanism;
• tsunamis volcanism: significant volcanic activity due to more than three-dozen active volcanoes along the Andes Mountains;
• Lascar (5,592 m), which last erupted in 2007, is the most active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes;
• Llaima (3,125 m) 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,
  • Calbuco,
  • Copahue,
  • Guallatiri,
  • Llullaillaco,
  • Nevados de Chillan,
  • Puyehue,
  • San Pedro,
  • and Villarrica
  ;
• see note 2 under "Geography - note"

• air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions;
• water pollution from raw sewage;
• noise pollution;
• improper garbage disposal;
• soil degradation;
• widespread deforestation and mining threaten the environment;
• wildlife conservation

noun:

Chilean(s)

adjective:

Chilean

0-14 years:

19.98% (male 1,827,657 /female 1,754,253)

15-24 years:

14.63% (male 1,337,663 /female 1,285,514)

25-54 years:

42.94% (male 3,851,775 /female 3,845,195)

55-64 years:

11.32% (male 957,872 /female 1,070,975)

65 years and over:

11.13% (male 836,489 /female 1,157,869) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

45.5 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

30.3 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

15.2 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

6.6 (2015 est.)

• 90% of the population is located in the middle third of the country around the capital of Santiago;
• the far north (anchored by the Atacama Desert) and the extreme south are relatively underpopulated

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.89 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.72 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Chile

conventional short form:

Chile

local long form:

Republica de Chile

local short form:

Chile

etymology:

derivation of the name is unclear, but it may come from the Mapuche word "chilli" meaning "limit of the earth" or from the Quechua "chiri" meaning "cold"

name:

Santiago; note - Valparaiso is the seat of the national legislature

geographic coordinates:

33 27 S, 70 40 W

time difference:

UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

• +1hr, begins second Sunday in August;
• ends second Sunday in May;
• note - Punta Arenas observes DST throughout the year

note: Chile has three time zones: the continental portion at UTC-3; the southern Magallanes region, which does not use daylight savings time and remains at UTC-3 for the summer months; and Easter Island at UTC-5

• 16 regions (regiones, singular - region);
• Aysen, Antofagasta, Araucania, Arica y Parinacota, Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Los Rios, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena (Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica), Maule, Nuble, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso

note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica

history:

• many previous;
• latest adopted 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981;
• note - in March 2018, days before her term ended, President BACHELET sent a proposal for a new constitution to the National Congress, but has not been pursued by her successor (2018)

amendments:

• proposed by members of either house of the National Congress or by the president of the republic;
• passage requires at least three-fifths 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 two-third 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;
• amended many times, last in 2017, with pending legislation to amend (2018) (2018)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

highest courts:

• Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (consists of a court president and 20 members or ministros);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 10 members);
• 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 terms

subordinate 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

chief of state:

President Sebastian PINERA Echenique (since 11 March 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Sebastian PINERA Echenique (since 11 March 2018)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term;
• election last held on 19 November 2017 with a runoff held 17 December 2017 (next to be held in November 2021)

election results:

• 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%

chief of mission:

Ambassador Oscar Alfonso Sebastian SILVA Navarro (since 17 September 2018)

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, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador Carol PEREZ (since 14 November 2016)

embassy:

Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago

mailing address:

APO AA 34033

telephone:

[56] (2) 2330-3000

FAX:

[56] (2) 2330-3710, 2330-3160

• two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red;
• 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 representing a guide to progress and honor;
• blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red represents the blood spilled to achieve independence

note: design influenced by the US flag

• grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans;
• beef, poultry, wool;
• fish;
• timber

agriculture:

9.2%

industry:

23.7%

services:

67.1% (2013)

lowest 10%:

41.5% (2013 est.)

highest 10%:

41.5% (2013 est.)

general assessment:

• privatization began in 1988;
• most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in South America;
• modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities;
• although Chile has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the region, the number of subscribers has fallen due to subscribers ending multiple SIM card use;
• this downward trend is expected to be halted in 2018 as the availability of LTE networks and services broaden;
• in terms of available broadband speeds the country ranks second highest in South and Central America (2017)

domestic:

• number of fixed-line connections have stagnated to 18 per 100 in recent years as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase, reaching 130 telephones per 100 persons;
• domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations (2017)

international:

• country code - 56;
• landing points for the Pan American, South America-1, and South American Crossing/Latin America Nautilus submarine cables providing links to the US and to Central and South America;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2016)

• national and local terrestrial TV channels, coupled with extensive cable TV networks;
• the state-owned Television Nacional de Chile (TVN) network is self-financed through commercial advertising revenues and is not under direct government control;
• large number of privately owned TV stations;
• about 250 radio stations (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

9 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 173 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

15,006,762 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,392,236,000 mt-km (2015)

total:

7,282 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

3,853.5 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)

broad gauge:

3,428 km 1.676-m gauge (1,691 km electrified) (2014)

total:

77,764 km (2010)

paved:

18,119 km (includes 2,387 km of expressways) (2010)

unpaved:

59,645 km (2010)

total:

211 (2017)

by type:

bulk carrier 10, container ship 5, general cargo 54, oil tanker 12, other 130 (2017)

major seaport(s):

Coronel, Huasco, Lirquen, Puerto Ventanas, San Antonio, San Vicente, Valparaiso

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Mejillones, Quintero

• 18-45 years of age for voluntary male and female military service, although the right to compulsory recruitment of males 18-45 is retained;
• service obligation is 12 months for Army and 22 months for Navy and Air Force (2015)

• Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile has offered instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian natural gasChile rejects Peru's unilateral legislation to change its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis favoring Peru;
• in October 2007, Peru took its maritime complaint with Chile to the ICJterritorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claimsthe joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur)

• transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe and the region;
• some money laundering activity, especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone;
• imported precursors passed on to Bolivia;
• domestic cocaine consumption is rising, making Chile a significant consumer of cocaine