:Chile Geography

Total area:
    756,950 km2
Land area:
    748,800 km2; includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Comparative area:
    slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Land boundaries:
    6,171 km; Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km
Coastline:
    6,435 km
Maritime claims:
  Contiguous zone:
    24 nm
  Continental shelf:
    200 nm
  Exclusive economic zone:
    200 nm
  Territorial sea:
    12 nm
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)

:Chile People

Population:
    13,528,945 (July 1992), growth rate 1.6% (1992)
Birth rate:
    21 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
    6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
    0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
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
Ethnic divisions:
    European and European-Indian 95%, Indian 3%, other 2%
Religions:
    Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, and small Jewish population
Languages:
    Spanish
Literacy:
    93% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
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)

:Chile Government

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
Legal system:
    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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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

:Chile Government

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

:Chile Economy

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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    18.7% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
    6.5% (1991)
Budget:
    revenues $7.6 billion; expenditures $8.3 billion, including capital
    expenditures of $772 million (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)
External debt:
    $16.2 billion (October 1991)
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)

:Chile Economy

Fiscal year:
    calendar year

:Chile Communications

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)
Inland waterways:
    725 km
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
Airports:
    390 total, 349 usable; 48 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
    over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 58 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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

:Chile Defense Forces

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.)