CIA World Fact Book Alicia Graber
Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile
maintained consistently since the
was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians (also known as Mapuches)
1980s, have contributed to steady
inhabited central and southern Chile. Although Chile declared its
growth, reduced poverty rates by
independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved
over half, and have helped secure
until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and
the country’s commitment to
Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the 1880s
democratic and representative
that the Araucanian Indians were completely subjugated. A three-
government. Chile has increasingly
year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown
assumed regional and international
in 1973 by a military coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a
leadership roles befitting its status
freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies,
as a stable, democratic nation.
9 GEOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................19 POLITICS............................................................................................................................ 25 PEOPLE...............................................................................................................................26 GOVERNMENT...............................................................................................................28 CULTURE...........................................................................................................................36 ECONOMY........................................................................................................................38 COMMUNICATIONS.................................................................................................. 46 TRANSPORTATION.................................................................................................... 48 MILITARY.......................................................................................................................... 50 TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES..................................................................................... 52 HISTORY..................................................................................................................................
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
8
About 10,000 years ago, migrating Native Americans settled in fertile valleys and along the coast of what is now Chile. The Incas briefly extended their empire into what is now northern Chile, but the area’s barrenness prevented extensive settlement.
“The conquest of Chile began in earnest in 1540 and was carried out by
In 1520, while attempting to circumnavigate the earth, the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan, discovered the southern passage now named after him, the Strait of Magellan. The next Europeans to reach Chile were Diego de Almagro and his band of Spanish conquistadors, who came from
Pedro de Valdivia,… who founded the city of Santiago on February 12, 1541”
Peru in 1535 seeking gold. The Spanish encountered hundreds of thousands of Native Americans
and hunting. The conquest of Chile began in earnest in 1540 and was
from various cultures in the
carried out by Pedro de Valdivia, one of Francisco Pizarro’s lieutenants,
area that modern Chile now
who founded the city of Santiago on February 12, 1541. Although the
occupies. These cultures supported
Spanish did not find the extensive gold and silver they sought, they
themselves principally through
recognized the agricultural potential of Chile’s central valley, and Chile
slash-and-burn agriculture
became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
9
Conquest of the land that is today called Chile took place only gradually, and the Europeans suffered repeated setbacks at the hands of the local population. A massive Mapuche insurrection that began in 1553 resulted in Valdivia’s death and the destruction of many of the colony’s principal settlements. Subsequent major insurrections took place in 1598 and in 1655. Each time the Mapuche and other native groups revolted, the southern border of the colony was driven northward. The abolition of slavery in 1683 defused tensions on the frontier between the colony and the Mapuche land to the south, and permitted increased trade between colonists and
“On February 12, 1818, Chile was proclaimed an independent republic under O’Higgins’ leadership.”
the Mapuche. The drive for independence from Spain was precipitated by usurpation of the Spanish throne by Napoleon’s brother Joseph in 1808. A national junta in the name of Ferdinand—heir to the deposed king—was formed on September 18, 1810. The junta proclaimed Chile an autonomous republic within the Spanish monarchy. A
Intermittent warfare continued until 1817, when an army led by Bernardo O’Higgins, Chile’s most renowned patriot, and José de San Martín, hero of the Argentine War of Independence, crossed the Andes into Chile and defeated the royalists. On February 12, 1818, Chile was proclaimed an independent republic under O’Higgins’ leadership. The political revolt brought little social change, however, and 19th century Chilean society preserved the essence of the stratified colonial social structure,
movement for total independence soon won a wide following.
which was greatly influenced by
Toward the end of the nineteenth
Spanish attempts to re-impose
family politics and the Roman
century, the government in
arbitrary rule during what was
Catholic Church. A strong
Santiago consolidated its position
called the “Reconquista” led to a
presidency eventually emerged,
in the south by ruthlessly
prolonged struggle.
but wealthy landowners remained
suppressing the Mapuche during
extremely powerful.
the Occupation of Araucanía. In 1881, it signed a treaty with
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
10
Argentina confirming Chilean sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan. As a result of the War of the Pacific with Peru and Bolivia (1879–83), Chile expanded its territory northward by almost one-third, eliminating Bolivia’s access to the Pacific, and acquired valuable nitrate deposits, the exploitation of which led to an era of national affluence. The Chilean Civil War in 1891 brought about a redistribution of power between the President and Congress, and Chile established a parliamentary style
democracy. However, the Civil
ties to foreign investors. Hence
War had also been a contest
the Chilean economy partially
between those who favored the
degenerated into a system
development of local industries
protecting the interests of a
and powerful Chilean banking
ruling oligarchy.
interests, particularly the House of Edwards who had strong
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
11
viable politician for more than thirty years, in spite of the vague and shifting nature of his ideology. When constitutional rule was restored in 1932, a strong middleclass party, the Radicals, emerged. It became the key force in coalition governments for the next 20 years. During the period of Radical Party dominance (1932–52), the state increased its role in the economy. In 1952, voters returned Ibáñez
Arturo Alessandri Palma 1920s President Reformist
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo 1930s - 50s President Dictator
By the 1920s, the emerging
The longest lasting of the ten
middle and working classes
governments between those
were powerful enough to elect
years was that of General Carlos
a reformist president, Arturo
Ibáñez del Campo, who briefly
Alessandri Palma, whose program
held power in 1925 and then
was frustrated by a conservative
again between 1927 and 1931 in
congress. Alessandri Palma’s
what was a de facto dictatorship,
reformist tendencies were partly
although not really comparable
tempered later by an admiration
in harshness or corruption to
for some elements of Mussolini’s
the type of military dictatorship
Italian Corporate State. In the
that has often bedeviled the
1920s, Marxist groups with strong
rest of Latin America, and
popular support arose.
certainly not comparable to the
A military coup led by General Luis Altamirano in 1924 set off a period of great political instability that lasted until 1932.
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
violent and repressive regime
del Campo, now reincarnated as a sort of Chilean Perón, to office for another six years.
Jorge Alessandri Palma 1950s President Conservative
of Augusto Pinochet decades later. By relinquishing power to a
Jorge Alessandri succeeded
democratically elected successor,
Ibáñez del Campo in 1958,
Ibáñez del Campo retained the
bringing Chilean conservatism
respect of a large enough segment
back into power democratically for
of the population to remain a
another term.
12
ambitious goals. In 1970, Senator Salvador Allende Gossens, a Marxist physician and member of Chile’s Socialist Party, who headed the “Popular Unity” (UP or “Unidad Popular”) coalition of the Socialist, Communist, Radical, and Social-Democratic Parties, along with dissident Christian Democrats, the Popular Unitary Action Movement (MAPU), and the Independent Popular
Eduardo Frei Montalva 1960s President Democratic
Action, won a plurality of votes in a three-way contest. Despite pressure from the government
Salvador Allende Gossens 1970s President Socialist
of the United States, the Chilean The 1964 presidential election of
Congress, keeping with tradition, conducted a runoff vote between the
Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei
leading candidates, Allende and former president Jorge Alessandri and
Montalva by an absolute majority
chose Allende by a vote of 153 to 35. Frei refused to form an alliance
initiated a period of major reform.
with Alessandri to oppose Allende, on the grounds that the Christian
Under the slogan “Revolution in
Democrats were a workers party and could not make common cause with
Liberty”, the Frei administration
the oligarchs.
embarked on far-reaching social and economic programs, particularly in education, housing, and agrarian reform, including rural unionization of agricultural workers. By 1967, however, Frei encountered increasing opposition from leftists, who charged that his reforms were inadequate, and
Allende’s program included advancement of workers’ interests; a thoroughgoing implementation of agrarian reform; the reorganization of the national economy into socialized, mixed, and private sectors; a foreign policy of “international solidarity” and national independence; and a new institutional order (the “people’s state” or “poder popular”), including the institution of a unicameral congress. The Popular Unity platform also called for nationalization of foreign (U.S.) ownership of Chile’s major copper mines.
from conservatives, who found them excessive. At the end of his term, Frei had accomplished many noteworthy objectives, but he had not fully achieved his party’s
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
13
An economic depression that began in 1967 peaked in 1970, exacerbated by capital flight, plummeting private investment, and withdrawal of bank deposits by those opposed to Allende’s socialist program. Production fell and unemployment rose. Allende adopted measures including price freezes, wage increases, and tax reforms, which had the effect of increasing consumer spending and redistributing income downward. Joint public-private public works projects helped reduce unemployment. Much of the banking sector was nationalized.
Many enterprises within the copper, coal, iron, nitrate, and steel
of domestic destabilization. By
industries were expropriated, nationalized, or subjected to state
1972, the economic progress of
intervention. Industrial output increased sharply and unemployment
Allende’s first year had been
fell during the Allende administration’s first year.
reversed and the economy was
Other reforms undertaken during the early Allende period included redistribution of millions of hectares of land to landless agricultural workers as part of the agrarian reform program, giving the armed forces an overdue pay increase, and providing free milk to children. The Indian Peoples Development Corporation and the Mapuche Vocational Institute were founded to address the needs of Chile’s indigenous population. The nationalization of U.S. and other foreign-owned companies led to increased tensions with the United States. The Nixon administration brought international financial pressure to bear in order to restrict economic credit to Chile. Simultaneously, the CIA funded opposition media, politicians, and organizations, helping to accelerate a campaign
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
in crisis. Political polarization increased, and large mobilizations of both pro- and anti-government groups became frequent, often leading to clashes. By early 1973, inflation was out of control. The crippled economy was further battered by prolonged and sometimes simultaneous strikes by physicians, teachers, students, truck owners, copper workers, and
14
the small business class. A US-backed military coup overthrew Allende on September 11, 1973. As the armed forces bombarded the presidential palace (Palacio de La Moneda), Allende reportedly committed suicide. A military government, led by General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, took over control of the country. The first years of the regime were marked by serious human rights violations. On October 1973, at least 72 people were murdered by the Caravan of Death . At least a thousand people were executed during the first six months of Pinochet in office, and at least
two thousand more were killed during the next sixteen years, as reported
In a plebiscite on October 5, 1988,
by the Rettig Report. Some 30,000 were forced to flee the country, and
General Pinochet was denied a
tens of thousands of people were detained and tortured, as investigated
second 8-year term as president
by the 2004 Valech Commission. A new Constitution was approved by a
(56% against 44%). Chileans
highly irregular and undemocratic plebiscite characterized by the absence
elected a new president and the
of registration lists, on September 11, 1980, and General Pinochet became
majority of members of a two-
President of the Republic for an 8-year term.
chamber congress on December
In the late 1980s, the regime gradually permitted greater freedom of assembly, speech, and association, to include trade union and limited political activity. The right-wing military government pursued free market economic policies. During Pinochet’s nearly 17 years in power, Chile moved away from state involvement, toward a largely free market economy that saw an increase in domestic and foreign private investment, although the copper industry and other important mineral resources were not returned to foreign ownership.
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
14, 1989. Christian Democrat Patricio Aylwin, the candidate of a coalition of 17 political parties called the Concertación, received an absolute majority of votes (55%). President Aylwin served from 1990 to 1994, in what was considered a transition period.
15
In December 1993, Christian Democrat
“In January 2006
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, the son of previous president Eduardo Frei Montalva, led the Concertación coalition to victory
Chileans elected
with an absolute majority of votes (58%). Frei Ruiz-Tagle was succeeded in 2000 by Socialist Ricardo Lagos, who won the
their first
presidency in an unprecedented runoff election against Joaquín Lavín of the rightist Alliance for Chile. In January
woman president,
2006 Chileans elected their first woman president, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, of the Socialist Party. She was sworn in on March 11, 2006, extending the Concertación coalition governance for another four years.
of the Socialist Party.”
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
16
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
17
LOCATION:
Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
AREA:
756,950 sq km
LAND:
748,800 sq km
WATER:
8,150 sq km note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez
19
MARITIME CLAIMS:
territorial sea: 12 nm
CONTIGUOUS ZONE: 24 nm
EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE: 200 nm
CONTINENTAL SHELF: 200/350 nm
AREA COMPARATIVE:
slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
LAND BOUNDARIES: 6,339 km
BORDER COUNTRIES:
Argentina 5,308 km | Bolivia 860 km Peru 171 km
COASTLINE: 6,435 km
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
20
CLIMATE:
temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south
TERRAIN:
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
ELEVATION EXTREMES:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m
NATURAL RESOURCES:
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower
LAND USE:
arable land: 2.62%
PERMANENT CROPS: 0.43% other: 96.95% (2005)
IRRIGATED LAND: 19,000 sq km (2003)
TOTAL RENEWABLE water resources: 922 cu km (2000)
FRESHWATER
withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 12.55 cu km/yr (11%/25%/64%)
PER CAPITA: 770 cu m/yr (2000)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
21
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
22
NATURAL HAZARDS:
severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
ENVIRONMENT – ISSUES:
widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, AntarcticMarine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate ChangeKyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
GEOGRAPHY – NOTE:
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 CIA World Fact Book | Chile
23
Chile’s Constitution was approved in a highly irregular national plebiscite in September 1980, under the military government of Augusto Pinochet. It entered into force in March 1981. After Pinochet’s defeat in the 1988 plebiscite, the Constitution was amended to ease provisions for future amendments to the Constitution. In September 2005, President Ricardo Lagos signed into law several constitutional amendments passed by Congress. These include eliminating the positions of appointed senators and senators for life, granting the President authority to remove the commandersin-chief of the armed forces, and reducing the presidential term from six to four years. Chileans voted in the first round of presidential elections on December 11, 2005. None of the four presidential
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
24
candidates won more than 50%
held in December 11, 2005, concurrently with the presidential
of the vote. As a result, the top
election. The current lower house—the Chamber of Deputies—
two vote-getters—center-left
contains 63 members of the governing center-left coalition and 57
Concertación coalition’s Michelle
from the center-right opposition. The Congress is located in the
Bachelet and center-right Alianza
port city of Valparaíso, about 140 kilometers (84 mi.) west of the
coalition’s Sebastián Piñera—
capital, Santiago.
competed in a run-off election on January 15, 2006, which Michelle Bachelet won. She was sworn in on March 11, 2006. This was Chile’s fourth presidential election since the end of the Pinochet era. All four have been judged free and fair. The President is constitutionally barred from serving consecutive terms.
Chile’s congressional elections are governed by a binomial system that rewards large representations. Therefore, there are only two Senate and two Deputy seats apportioned to each electoral district, parties are forced to form wide coalitions and, historically, the two largest coalitions (Concertación and Alianza) split most of the seats in a district. Only if the leading coalition ticket out-polls the second-place coalition by a margin of more than 2-to-1 does the winning coalition gain both seats. In the 2001 congressional elections, the conservative Independent Democratic Union surpassed the Christian Democrats for the first time to become
Chile’s bicameral Congress has a
the largest party in the lower house. In 2005, both leading parties,
38-seat Senate and a 120-member
the Christian Democrats and the UDI lost representation in favor
Chamber of Deputies. Senators
of their respective allies Socialist Party (which became the biggest
serve for 8 years with staggered
party in the Concertación block) and National Renewal in the
terms, while Deputies are elected
right-wing alliance. The Communist Party again failed to gain any
every 4 years. The current Senate
seats in the election. (See Chilean parliamentary election, 2005.)
has a 20-18 split in favor of pro-government Senators. The last congressional elections were
Chile’s judiciary is independent and includes a court of appeal, a system of military courts, a constitutional tribunal, and the Supreme Court. In June 2005, Chile completed a nation-wide overhaul of its criminal justice system. The reform has replaced inquisitorial proceedings with an adversarial system more similar to that of the United States.
25
POPULATION:
16,284,741 (July 2007 est.)
AGE STRUCTURE:
0-14 years: 24.1% (male 2,010,576/female 1,920,951) 15-64 years: 67.4% (male 5,480,703/female 5,492,988) 65 years and over: 8.5% (male 576,698/female 802,825) (2007 est.)
MEDIAN AGE:
30.7 years male: 29.8 years female: 31.7 years (2007 est.)
POPULATION GROWTH RATE: 0.916% (2007 est.)
BIRTH RATE:
15.03 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
DEATH RATE:
5.87 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
NET MIGRATION RATE:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
SEX RATIO:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.047 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.998 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.718 male(s)/female total population: 0.982 male(s)/female (2007 est.) CIA World Fact Book | Chile
26
HIV/AIDS - ADULT PREVALENCE RATE: 0.3% (2003 est.)
INFANT MORTALITY RATE:
total: 8.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH: total population: 76.96 years male: 73.69 years female: 80.4 years (2007 est.)
TOTAL FERTILITY RATE:
1.97 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS: 26,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - DEATHS: 1,400 (2003 est.)
NATIONALITY: noun: Chilean(s) adjective: Chilean
ETHNIC GROUPS:
white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2%
RELIGIONS:
Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah’s Witness 1.1%, other Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census)
LANGUAGES: Spanish
LITERACY:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.7% male: 95.8% female: 95.6% (2002 census) CIA World Fact Book | Chile
27
COUNTRY NAME: Chile
CONVENTIONAL LONG FORM: Republic of Chile
CONVENTIONAL SHORT FORM: Chile
LOCAL LONG FORM: Republica de Chile
LOCAL SHORT FORM: Chile
GOVERNMENT TYPE: republic
CAPITAL:
name: Santiago
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES: 33 27 S, 70 40 W
TIME DIFFERENCE:
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME:
+1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
28
INDEPENDENCE:
18 September 1810 (from Spain)
NATIONAL HOLIDAY:
Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
CONSTITUTION:
11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005
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; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system
SUFFRAGE:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
29
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS: 15 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Arica y Parinacota, Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins, Los Lagos, Los Rios, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
30
EXECUTIVE BRANCH:
chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT:
President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006)
CABINET:
Cabinet appointed by the president
ELECTIONS:
president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in December 2009)
ELECTION RESULTS:
Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique 46.5%
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve eight-year terms; one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
ELECTIONS:
Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2009)
ELECTION RESULTS:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8), independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI 34, RN 20), independent 1; note - as of 8 January 2008: Senate - seats by party - CPD 18, (PDC 5, PS 8, PPD 2, PRSD 3), APC 16 (UDI 9, RN 7), independent 4; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - CPD 57 (PDC 16, PPD 19, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 53 (UDI 33, RN 20), independent 10.
JUDICIAL BRANCH:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
32
POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEADERS:
Alliance for Chile (“Alianza”) or APC (including National Renewal or RN [Carlos LARRAIN Pena] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Hernan LARRAIN Fernandez]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy (“Concertacion”) or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Soledad ALVEAR], Socialist Party or PS [Camilo ESCALONA Medina], Party for Democracy or PPD [Sergio BITAR Chacra], Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER]; Humanist Party [Marilen CABRERA Olmos]
POLITICAL PRESSURE GROUPS AND LEADERS:
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
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATION:
ABEDA, APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO CIA World Fact Book | Chile
33
Diplomatic representation in the US: Chief of Mission:
Diplomatic representation from the US: Chief of Mission:
Chancery:
Embassy:
Ambassador Mariano Fernandez
1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
Telephone:
(202) 530-4104 | 530-4106, 530-4107
FAX:
(202) 887-5579
Consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
Ambassador Paul E. Simons Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago
Mailing Address: APO AA 34033
Telephone:
(2) 232-2600
FAX:
(2) 330-3710
34
Flag description: 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 representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled to achieve independence note: design was influenced by the US flag
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
35
Northern Chile was an important
The national dance is the cueca.
Chileans call their country país de
center of culture in the medieval
Another form of traditional
poetas—country of poets. Gabriela
and early modern Inca empire,
Chilean song, though not a dance,
Mistral was the first Chilean to win
while the central and southern
is the tonada. Arising from music
a Nobel Prize for Literature (1945).
regions were areas of Mapuche
imported by the Spanish colonists,
Chile’s most famous poet,
cultural activities. Through
it is distinguished from the cueca
however, is Pablo Neruda,
the colonial period following
by an intermediate melodic
who also won the Nobel Prize
the conquest, and during the
section and a more prominent
for Literature (1971) and is
early Republican period, the
melody. In the mid-1960s native
world-renowned for his extensive
country’s culture was dominated
musical forms were revitalized by
library of works on romance,
by the Spanish. Other European
the Parra family with the Nueva
nature, and politics. His three
influences, primarily English and
Canción Chilena, which was
highly individualistic homes,
French, began in the 19th century
associated with political activists
located in Isla Negra, Santiago
and have continued to this day.
and reformers, and by the folk
and Valparaíso are popular
singer and researcher on folklore
tourist destinations.
and Chilean ethnography, Margot Loyola.
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
36
“If nothing saves us from death, at least love should save us from life.” CIA World Fact Book | Chile
—Pablo Neruda 37
Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile’s reputation as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in 1990 deepened the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings -
the latter a product of the global
maintained a low rate of inflation
Unemployment has exhibited a
financial crisis. A severe drought
with GDP growth coming from
downward trend over the past
exacerbated the recession in
high copper prices, solid export
two years, dropping to 7.8% and
1999, reducing crop yields and
earnings (particularly forestry,
6.7% at the end of 2006 and
causing hydroelectric shortfalls
fishing, and mining), and growing
2007, respectively. Chile deepened
and electricity rationing, and Chile
domestic consumption. President
its longstanding commitment
experienced negative economic
BACHELET in 2006 established an
to trade liberalization with the
growth for the first time in more
Economic and Social Stabilization
signing of a free trade agreement
than 15 years. Despite the effects
Fund to hold excess copper
with the US, which took effect on
of the recession, Chile maintained
revenues so that social spending
1 January 2004. Chile claims to
its reputation for strong financial
can be maintained during periods
have more bilateral or regional
institutions and sound policy
of copper shortfalls. This fund will
trade agreements than any other
that have given it the strongest
surpass $20 billion by the end of
country. It has 57 such agreements
sovereign bond rating in South
2007. Chile continues to attract
(not all of them full free trade
America. Between 2000 and 2007
foreign direct investment, but
agreements), including with the
growth ranged between 2%-6%.
most foreign investment goes into
European Union, Mercosur, China,
Throughout these years Chile
gas, water, electricity and mining.
India, South Korea, and Mexico.
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
38
GDP (PURCHASING POWER PARITY): $234.4 billion (2007 est.)
(OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATE): $160.8 billion (2007 est.)
REAL GROWTH RATE: 5.2% (2007 est.)
PER CAPITA (PPP): $14,400 (2007 est.)
COMPOSITION BY SECTOR: agriculture: 4.9% industry: 49.7% services: 45.4% (2007 est.)
LABOR FORCE: 6.97 million (2007 est.)
BY OCCUPATION: agriculture: 13.6% industry: 23.4% services: 63% (2003)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
39
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 7% (2007 est.)
POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE: 18.2% (2005)
HOUSEHOLD INCOME OR CONSUMPTION BY PERCENTAGE SHARE: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 45% (2003)
DISTRIBUTION OF FAMILY INCOME - GINI INDEX: 54.9 (2003)
INFLATION RATE (CONSUMER PRICES): 6.5% (2007 est.)
INVESTMENT (GROSS FIXED): 21% of GDP (2007 est.)
BUDGET
revenues: $44.44 billion expenditures: $31.36 billion (2007 est.)
PUBLIC DEBT:
3.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
40
AGRICULTURE - PRODUCTS:
grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber
INDUSTRIES:
copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH RATE: 5.6% (2007 est.)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
41
ELECTRICITY – PRODUCTION 47.6 billion kWh (2006)
PRODUCTION BY SOURCE: fossil fuel: 47% hydro: 51.5% nuclear: 0% other: 1.4% (2001)
CONSUMPTION: 48.31 billion kWh (2005)
EXPORTS: 0 kWh (2005)
IMPORTS:
2.152 billion kWh (2005)
OIL – PRODUCTION: 15,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)
CONSUMPTION:
238,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
EXPORTS:
31,510 bbl/day (2004)
IMPORTS:
222,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)
PROVED RESERVES:
150 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.) CIA World Fact Book | Chile
42
NATURAL GAS – PRODUCTION: 1.957 billion cu m (2005 est.)
CONSUMPTION:
8.191 billion cu m (2005 est.)
EXPORTS:
0 cu m (2005 est.)
IMPORTS:
6.234 billion cu m (2005)
PROVED RESERVES:
93.97 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCE: $8.184 billion (2007 est.)
EXPORTS:
$66.43 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
COMMODITIES:
copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine
PARTNERS:
US 15.6%, Japan 10.5%, China 8.6%, Netherlands 6.7%, South Korea 5.9%, Italy 4.9%, Brazil 4.8%, France 4.2% (2006)
IMPORTS:
$41.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
COMMODITIES:
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas
PARTNERS:
US 15.6%, Argentina 12.6%, Brazil 11.8%, China 9.7% (2006) CIA World Fact Book | Chile
43
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
44
ECONOMIC AID - RECIPIENT: $0 (2006)
RESERVES OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND GOLD: $22.24 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
DEBT - EXTERNAL: $49.18 billion (30 June 2007)
STOCK OF DIRECT FOREIGN INVESTMENT – AT HOME: $84.07 billion (2006 est.)
ABROAD:
$28.5 billion (2006 est.)
MARKET VALUE OF PUBLICLY TRADED SHARES: $174.6 billion (2006)
CURRENCY (CODE): Chilean peso (CLP)
CURRENCY CODE: CLP
EXCHANGE RATES:
Chilean pesos per US dollar - 526.25 (2007), 530.29 (2006), 560.09 (2005), 609.37 (2004), 691.43 (2003)
FISCAL YEAR: calendar year
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
45
TELEPHONES – MAIN LINES: 3.326 million (2006)
MOBILE CELLULAR: 12.451 million (2006)
TELEPHONE SYSTEM:
general assessment:privatization began in 1988; advanced telecommunications infrastructure; modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; fixed-line connections have dropped in recent years as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase, reaching a level of 75 telephones per 100 persons
DOMESTIC:
extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations
INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY CODE:
56; submarine cables provide links to the US and to Central and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
46
RADIO BROADCAST STATIONS:
AM 180 (8 inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (1 inactive) (1998)
RADIOS:
5.18 million (1997)
TELEVISION BROADCAST STATIONS: 63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997)
TELEVISIONS: 3.15 million (1997)
INTERNET COUNTRY CODE: .cl
INTERNET HOSTS: 745,375 (2007)
INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPS): 7 (2000)
INTERNET USERS: 4.156 million (2006)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
47
AIRPORTS: 358 (2007)
WITH PAVED RUNWAYS: total: 79 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 19 (2007)
WITH UNPAVED RUNWAYS: total: 279 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 49 under 914 m: 216 (2007)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
48
PIPELINES:
gas 2,550 km; gas/liquid petroleum gas 42 km; liquid petroleum gas 539 km; oil 1,002 km; refined products 757 km; unknown (oil/water) 97 km (2007)
ROADWAYS:
total: 79,605 km paved: 16,080 km (includes 407 km of expressways) unpaved: 63,525 km (2001)
MERCHANT MARINE:
RAILWAYS: total: 6,585 km
total: 48 ships (1000 GRT or over) 719,668 GRT/1,016,892 DWT by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 6, chemical tanker 11, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 3
BROAD GAUGE:
FOREIGN-OWNED:
NARROW GAUGE:
PORTS AND TERMINALS:
2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified)
3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
1 (Argentina 1) registered in other countries: 20 (Argentina 7, Brazil 1, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 8) (2007)
Coronel, Huasco, Lirquen, Puerto Ventanas, San Antonio, San Vicente, Valparaiso
49
MILITARY BRANCHES: Army of the Nation:
Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile, includes naval air, marine corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine Directorate (Directemar))
Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACh):
Carabineros Corps (Cuerpo de Carabineros) (2008):
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
50
MILITARY SERVICE AGE AND OBLIGATION:
18-45 years of age for voluntary male and female military service, although the right to compulsory recruitment is retained; service obligation - 12 months for Army, 22 months for Navy and Air Force (2008)
MANPOWER AVAILABLE FOR MILITARY SERVICE:
MANPOWER FIT FOR MILITARY SERVICE:
MANPOWER REACHING MILITARY SERVICE:
MALES (18 - 49)
MALES (18 - 49)
MALES (18 - 49)
FEMALES (18 - 49)
FEMALES (18 - 49)
FEMALES (18 - 49)
3,815,761
3,780,864 (2005 est.)
3,123,281
3,128,277 (2005 est.)
140,084
134,518 (2005 est.)
MILITARY EXPENDITURES: 2.7% of GDP (2006)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
51
DISPUTES - INTERNATIONAL: Chile rebuffs Bolivia’s reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian gas and other commodities; Chile rejects Peru’s unilateral legislation to change its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis favoring Peru; 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)
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
52
ILLICIT DRUGS: A important transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe; economic prosperity and increasing trade have made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits, especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone, but a new antimoney-laundering law improves controls; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising; significant consumer of cocaine.
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
53
TEXT PROVIDED BY:
http://www.ciaworldfactbook.us/south-america/chile.html
IMAGES PROVIDED BY:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Chile
CIA World Fact Book | Chile
54
About The Designer: I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. I live in Columbus with one amazing girlfriend, two spoiled dogs, and a love for re-branding and design. My name is Alicia and I am a Graphic Designer
CIA World Fact Book