Chile




                                 Geography


Location:
     Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean between
     Argentina and Peru
Map references:
     South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     756,950 sq km
land area:
     748,800 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
note:
     includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Land boundaries:
     total 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
International 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 and British claims
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:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     16%
forest and woodland:
     21%
other:
     56%
Irrigated land:
     12,650 sq km (1989 est.)




Environment:
current issues:
     air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution
     from untreated sewage; deforestation contributing to loss of
     biodiversity; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
     subject to severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
international agreements:
     party to - Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
     Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands,
     Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
     Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
     strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific
     Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama
     Desert one of world's driest regions


                                  People


Population:
     13,950,557 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     1.51% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     20.59 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     5.49 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     74.51 years
male:
     71.52 years
female:
     77.65 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     2.5 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Chilean(s)
adjective:
     Chilean
Ethnic divisions:
     European and European-Indian 95%, Indian 3%, other 2%
Religions:
     Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish
Languages:
     Spanish
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     93%




male:
     94%
female:
     93%
Labor force:
     4.728 million
by occupation:
     services 38.3% (includes government 12%), industry and commerce 33.8%,
     agriculture, forestry, and fishing 19.2%, mining 2.3%, construction
     6.4% (1990)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Chile
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republica de Chile
local short form:
Digraph:
     CI
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)
National holiday:
     Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
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
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
     President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since 11 March 1994) election last
     held 11 December 1993 (next to be held December 1999); results -
     Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (PDC) 58%, Arturo ALESSANDRI 24.4%, other
     17.6%




cabinet:
     Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
Senate (Senado):
     election last held 11 December 1993 (next to be held December 1997);
     results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (46 total, 38 elected)
     Concertation of Parties for Democracy 21 (PDC 13, PS 4, PPD 3, PR 1),
     Union for the Progress of Chile 15 (RN 11, UDI 3, UCC 1), right-wing
     independents 10
Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados):
     election last held 11 December 1993 (next to be held December 1997);
     results - Concertation of Parties for Democracy 53.95% (PDC 27.16%, PS
     12.01%, PPD 11.82%, PR 2.96%,); Union for the Progress of Chile 30.57%
     (RN 15.25%, UDI 12.13%, UCC 3.19%); seats - (120 total) Concertation
     of Parties for Democracy 70 (PDC 37, PPD 15, PR 2, PS 15, left-wing
     independent 1), Union for the Progress of Chile 47 (RN 30, UDI 15, UCC
     2), right-wing independents 3
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Political parties and leaders:
     Concertation of Parties for Democracy consists mainly of four parties:
     Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Gutenberg MARTINEZ; Socialist Party
     (PS), Camilo ESCALONA; Party for Democracy (PPD), Victor Manuel
     REBOLLEDO; Radical Party (PR), Carlos GONZALEZ Marquez; Union for the
     Progress of Chile consists mainly of three parties: National Renewal
     (RN), Andres ALLAMAND; Independent Democratic Union (UDI), Jovino
     NOVOA; Center Center Union (UCC), Francisco Javier ERRAZURIZ
Other political or pressure groups:
     revitalized university student federations at all major universities;
     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, NAM, OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
     UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
     WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador John BIEHL del Rio
chancery:
     1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
     (202) 785-1746
FAX:
     (202) 887-5579
consulate(s) general:
     Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco,
     and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Curtis W. KAMMAN
embassy:
     Codina Building, 1343 Agustinas, Santiago




mailing address:
     Unit 4127, Santiago; 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


                                  Economy


Overview:
     Chile has a prosperous, essentially free market economy, with the
     degree of government intervention varying according to the philosophy
     of the different regimes. Under the center-left government of
     President AYLWIN, which took power in March 1990, spending on social
     welfare has risen steadily. At the same time business investment,
     exports and consumer spending have also grown substantially. The new
     president, FREI, who takes office in March 1994, is expected to
     emphasize social spending even more. Growth in 1991-93 has averaged 8%
     annually, with an estimated one million Chileans having moved out of
     poverty in the last four years. Copper remains vital to the health of
     the economy; Chile is the world's largest producer and exporter of
     copper.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $96 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     5.8% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $7,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     12.3% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     5.1% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $10.9 billion
expenditures:
     $10.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.2 billion (1993)
Exports:
     $10 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
     copper 41%, other metals and minerals 8.7%, wood products 7.1%, fish
     and fishmeal 9.8%, fruits 8.4% (1991)
partners:
     EC 29%, Japan 17%, US 16%, Argentina 5%, Brazil 5% (1992)
Imports:
     $9.2 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
     capital goods 25.2%, spare parts 24.8%, raw materials 15.4%, petroleum
     10%, foodstuffs 5.7%




partners:
     EC 24%, US 21%, Brazil 10%, Japan 10% (1992)
External debt:
     $19.7 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 9.3% (1992 est.); accounts for 34% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     5,769,000 kW
production:
     22.01 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     1,630 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel,
     wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles
Agriculture:
     accounts for about 7% 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; 1991
     fish catch of 6.6 million metric tons; net agricultural importer
Illicit drugs:
     a minor transshipment country for cocaine destined for the US and
     Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
     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), $386 million
Currency:
     1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
     Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1 - 430.57 (January 1994), 404.35 (1993),
     362.59 (1992), 349.37 (1991), 305.06 (1990), 267.16 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              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; 1,865 km 1.676-meter gauge
     and 80 km 1.000-meter gauge electrified
Highways:
total:
     79,993 km
paved:
     10,984 km
unpaved:
     gravel or earth 68,615 km (1990)
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:
     31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 449,253 GRT/755,821 DWT, bulk
     10, cargo 7, chemical tanker 3, combination ore/oil 3, liquefied gas
     tanker 3, oil tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3
note:
     in addition, 1 naval tanker and 1 military transport are sometimes
     used commercially
Airports:
total:
     392
usable:
     349
with permanent-surface runways:
     47
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     13
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     58
Telecommunications:
     modern telephone system based on extensive microwave radio 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


                              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 age 15-49 3,705,321; fit for military service 2,759,130; reach
     military age (19) annually 120,512 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $1 billion, 3.4% of GDP (1991 est.)