Overview
Chile is located in the extreme southwestern part at South America and stretches through the Antarctic to the South Pole. Its most western territory is Easter Island in Oceania. Chile's varied topography ranges from the Atacama Desert in the north, with its great mineral wealth – principally copper and nitrates - to the agricultural and wine-growing Central Valley, where the capital Santiago is located, and to the woods, mountains, lakes, glaciers and fjords of the south.
Area
| |
Mainland & islands |
: |
756.096 km2 |
| |
Antarctic |
: |
1.250.000 km2 |
| |
Total |
: |
2.006.096 km2 |
| |
: |
|
| Mainland length |
: |
4.200 km |
| Administrative divisions |
: |
15 regions. 53 provinces and 346 municipal districts |
| Government |
: |
The President of the Republic serves as head of state and head of government. Since March 11, 2010, this post has been held by Sebastian Pinera Echenique. |
Social |
| Population |
: |
16.9 million |
| Population density |
: |
20.4 inhabitants/km2 |
| Official language |
: |
Spanish |
| Currency |
: |
Peso |
| Literacy |
: |
97% |
| Life expectancy |
: |
78 years |
Economy
| GDP 2010 |
: |
US$203.442 million |
| GDP per capita (nominal. 2009) |
: |
US$11.827 (IMF) |
| GDP per capita (PPP. 2009) |
: |
US$15.400 (IMF) |
| Unemployment rate (2009) |
: |
8.7% |
| GDP growth (2009) |
: |
-1.5% |
| GDP growth (2010) |
: |
5.3% |
| GDP growth (2011*est.) |
: |
5.5% |
| Exports (2010) |
: |
US$64.28 million |
| Imports (2010) |
: |
US$54.23 million |
* Estimate 2011.