CHILE

Chile is located in Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru. The geographical coordinates are 30 00 S, 71 00 W and on a map it may be referenced in South America. The total area of this great Latin American country is approximately 756,950 sq. km and is divided up into 748,800 sq. km land, and 8,150 sq. km water (includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez).

Chile is slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana. Its coastline totals 6,435 km and the border it shares with three other countries, is approximately 6,171 km. The border is shared with Argentina (5,150 km), Bolivia (861 km), and Peru (160 km). Chile's strategic location is relative to the sea lanes between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage), its Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions.

The climate is temperate, with desert in the north, and, cool and damp in the south. The country's terrain has low coastal mountains, with fertile central valleys, and rugged Andes in the east. Elevation extremes range from the lowest point (Pacific Ocean) which is at sea level, to the highest point (Cerro Aconcagua) 6,962 m above sea level. As of 1993, had natural resources that included, copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum. The land was broken out in the following percentiles, 5% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 18% permanent pastures; 22% forests and woodland; and 55% other.

Argentina :: Bolivia :: Brazil :: Chile :: Ecuador :: Peru