It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, and Argentina to the east.
Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island in Oceania.
The country gained its independence from Spain in 1810 and practices a unitary constitutional system of government which essentially means that governmental powers are concentrated in the Central government who shares the power to components units as it deems fit.
Chileans often call their country the country of poets having produced two noble Laureates in literature.
The capital of the country is Santiago and it was founded in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia.
The surface area of Chile is 756,102 km² making it larger than the United Kingdom, Romania, Greece, and Bulgaria all together. At 2,653 miles. It is also the longest country in the world.
Chile is home to the driest place on earth At 7,500 feet, Chile’s the Atacama Desert is so dry that some part of it has never received rainfall. The desert is also believed to be the oldest in the world.
According to a United Nations estimates the population of Chile is 18,209,872, which is equivalent to 0.24% of the total world population. It is the 65th most populated country in the world.
Chile is home to Lake Chungara which is the 31st highest lake in the world.
According to the Guinness Book of World Record, The world’s largest swimming pool is found in San Alfonso del Mar resort, Algarrobo Chile. It covers 1000 an area 20 acres and holds 66 million gallons of seawater. The swimming pool is maintained annually with more than two million dollars.
The official language of the Republic of Chile is Spanish and is spoken by the whole population. Also in existence are indigenous communities that still use their languages and dialects example are the Mapudungún (in the south) the Aymará (in the Andes Region in the north) and the Rapanui (of Easter Island).
Chile is home to more than 1300 active volcanoes. Cerro Arul, Cerro Hudson, and Villarrica are the most active.
Standing at 6,893 m Ojos del Salado is Chile’s highest mountain, other high mountains and their heights are Tres Cruces Sur 6,749 m, Llullaillaco 6,739 m, Tres Cruces Central 6,629 m, Incahuasi 6,621 m, Cerro El Muerto 6,488 m, Pomerape 6,282 m, Los Patos 6,239 m, Pular 6,233 m, and Cerro Solo 6,190 m.
Chile’s most prosperous city and center of attraction is Valparaiso, its historical center was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2003. The chief industrial area of the country is also located in the city, it is also home to Chile’s major port for the importation and exportation of goods.
Mummification is an ancient technique used in the preservation of dead bodies, it is commonly associated with ancient Egypt, coincidentally the oldest mummified body is found in Chile and it’s the body of a child.
The most devastating earthquakes in the World happened in 1960 in the South American Country, thousands of lives were lost.
Some of the best and finest wines are brewed in Chile, the country is the 5th largest exporter of wine and the 9th largest producer of wine. The country’s national wine is called the Pisco.
Chile is Home to Five UNESCO World Heritage sites and they are the Churches of Chiloé, the Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works, Rapa Nui National Park, and the Sewell Mining Town.
Chile is one of the best places to raise a family, it has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world. The country legalized divorce in 2004 making it the last country in the Western Hemisphere to do so.
The clear atmosphere in the mountains of Norte Grande is excellent for astronomers. It has about 300 clear nights a year and is the best possible site to build Southern Hemisphere observatories.
The World Bank ranks Chile as a high-income economy, it is considered as South America’s most stable and prosperous nation. Goods like copper, grapes, chemicals, fish, and other seafood, paper and pulp, wine, lumber, and gold are exported to other counties.
The country’s main export partners are China, the United States of America, Japan, Brazil, and Argentina. The country imports machinery, petroleum, transport equipment, and parts, chemicals, steel, and other metals, plastic and rubber, textiles, foodstuffs, and natural gas. Its main import partners are United States, China, Brazil, Argentina, and Germany.
