Chile

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

Fresh water lake(s):

• Lago General Carrera (shared with Argentina) - 2,240 sq km;
• Lago O'Higgins (shared with Argentina) - 1,010 sq km;
• Lago Llanquihue - 800 sq km;
• Lago Fagnano (shared with Argentina) - 590 sq km

• 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"

noun:

Chilean(s)

adjective:

Chilean

• Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, Indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua, Rapa Nui), other 2.3%, unspecified 0.2%;
• note - shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census (2012 est.)

major-language sample(s):

La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

• 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

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.72 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

• 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

particulate matter emissions:

21.03 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

85.82 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

15.97 megatons (2020 est.)

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

urban population:

87.8% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

0.78% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

6.517 million tons (2009 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

24,113 tons (2009 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

0.4% (2009 est.)

Fresh water lake(s):

• Lago General Carrera (shared with Argentina) - 2,240 sq km;
• Lago O'Higgins (shared with Argentina) - 1,010 sq km;
• Lago Llanquihue - 800 sq km;
• Lago Fagnano (shared with Argentina) - 590 sq km

municipal:

1.267 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

4.744 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

29.42 billion cubic meters (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

time zone 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

etymology:

Santiago is named after the biblical figure Saint James (ca. A.D. 3-44), patron saint of Spain, but especially revered in Galicia; "Santiago" derives from the local Galician evolution of the Vulgar Latin "Sanctu Iacobu"; Valparaiso derives from the Spanish "Valle Paraiso" meaning "Paradise Valley"

• 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;
• a referendum held on 25 October 2020 approved forming a convention to draft a new constitution, and on 15-16 May 2021, a referendum was held to elect members to the convention

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 2020

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

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 21 November 2021 with a runoff held on 19 December 2021 (next to be held on 23 November 2025 with runoff if need on 20 December)

election results:

• 2021: Gabriel BORIC elected president in second round;
• percent of vote in first round - Jose Antonio KAST (FSC) 27.9%;
• Gabriel BORIC (AD) 25.8%;
• Franco PARISI (PDG) 12.8%;
• Sebastian SICHEL (ChP+) 12.8%;
• Yasna PROVOSTE (New Social Pact) 11.6%;
• other 9.1%;
• percent of vote in second round - Gabriel BORIC (AD) 55.9%;
• Jose Antonio KAST (FSC) 44.1%;
• note - BORIC will take office 11 March 2022

;

• 2017: 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%

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

• Approve Dignity or AD [Gabriel BORIC]
• Broad Front Coalition (Frente Amplio) or FA (includes RD, PL, PH, PEV, Igualdad, and Poder) [Beatriz SANCHEZ]
• Broad Social Movement of Leftist Citizens (includes former MAS and Izquierda Ciudadana) [Fernando ZAMORANO]
• Chile We Can Do More or ChP+ [Sebastian SICHEL] (includes EVOPOLI, PRI, RN, UDI)
• Christian Conservative Party or PCC [Antaris VARELA]
• Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Yasna PROVOSTE]
• Christian Social Front or FSC [Jose Antonio KAST] (includes PCC, PLR)
• Citizen Power (Poder) [Karina OLIVA]
• Citizens or CIU [María Ignacia GOMEZ Martinez]
• Commons (Comunes) [Javiera TORO]
• Communist Party of Chile or PCCh [Guillermo TEILLIER del Valle]
• Democratic Revolution or RD [Rodrigo ECHECOPAR]
• Dignity Now or DA [Pamela JILES Moreno and Guillermo GONZALEZ Castro]
• Equality Party (Igualdad) [Guillermo GONZALEZ Castro]
• Green Ecological Party or PEV [Felix GONZALEZ]
• Humanist Party or PH [Octavio GONZALEZ]
• Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Javier MACAYA]
• Independent Regionalist Democratic Party or PRI [Hugo ORTIZ de Filippi]
• Liberal Party (Partido Liberal de Chile) or PL [Luis Felipe RAMOS]
• National Renewal or RN [Mario DESBORDES]
• New Social Pact or NPS [Yasna PROVOSTE] (includes PDC, PL, PPD, PRSD, PS)
• Party for Democracy or PPD [Heraldo MUNOZ]
• Party of the People or PDG [Franco PARISI]
• Political Evolution or EVOPOLI [Hernan LARRAIN MATTE]
• Progressive Party or PRO [Marco Antonio ENRIQUEZ-OMINAMI Gumucio]
• Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Carlos MALDONADO Curti]
• Republican Party or PLR [Jose Antonio KAST]
• Social Convergence or CS [Gabriel BORIC]
• Social Green Regionalist Federation or FREVS [Jaime Francisco MULET Martínez]
• Socialist Party or PS [Alvaro Antonio ELIZALDE Soto]
• United Independents or IU [Cristian Alejandro CONTRERAS Radovic]

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

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://chile.gob.cl/estados-unidos/en/

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Richard H. GLENN (since August 2020)

embassy:

Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago

mailing address:

3460 Santiago Place, Washington DC 20521-3460

telephone:

[56] (2) 2330-3000

FAX:

[56] (2) 2330-3710

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://cl.usembassy.gov/

• 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

Fitch rating:

A- (2020)

Moody's rating:

A1 (2018)

Standard & Poors rating: A+ (2017)

agriculture:

9.2%

industry:

23.7%

services:

67.1% (2013)

total:

24.9%

male:

23.7%

female:

26.6% (2020 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.7%

highest 10%:

41.5% (2013 est.)

• 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

number of registered air carriers:

9 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 173

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

19,517,185 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,226,440,000 mt-km (2018)

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:

231

by type:

bulk carrier 6, container ship 5, general cargo 58, oil tanker 14, other 148 (2021)

major seaport(s):

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

container port(s) (TEUs):

San Antonio (1,709,635), Valparaiso (898,715) (2019)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Mejillones, Quintero

• the Chilean military inventory is comprised of a wide mix of mostly Western equipment and some domestically-produced systems;
• since 2010, it has received military hardware from nearly 15 countries, including Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US;
• Chile's defense industry has capabilities in military aircraft, ships, and vehicles (2021)

• 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 (2021)

• the Chilean Army was founded in 1810, but traces its origins back to the Army of the Kingdom of Chile, which was established by the Spanish Crown in the early 1600s;
• the Navy traces its origins to 1817;
• it was first led by a British officer and its first ships were largely crewed by American, British, and Irish sailors;
• by the 1880s, the Chilean Navy was one of the most powerful in the Americas, and included the world’s first protected cruiser (a ship with an armored deck to protect vital machine spaces);
• Chile's military aviation was inaugurated in 1913 with the creation of a military aviation school

• 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 gas;
• Chile 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 ICJ;
• territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims;
• the 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