CHILE
GEOGRAPHY
Total area: 756,950 km2; land area: 748,800 km2; includes Isla de
Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Comparative area: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Land boundaries: 6,171 km total; 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
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
claim
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 NEGL%; meadows and
pastures 16%; forest and woodland 21%; other 56%; includes irrigated
2%
Environment: subject to severe earthquakes, active volcanism,
tsunami; Atacama Desert one of world's driest regions; desertification
Note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake
Passage)
PEOPLE
Population: 13,286,620 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991)
Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 77 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1991)
Nationality: noun--Chilean(s); adjective--Chilean
Ethnic divisions: European and European-Indian 95%, Indian 3%,
other 2%
Religion: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, and small Jewish
population
Language: Spanish
Literacy: 93% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 3,840,000; services 38.6% (includes government 12%)
38.6%; industry and commerce 31.3%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing
15.9%; mining 8.7%; construction 4.4% (1985)
Organized labor: 11% of labor force (1990)
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Republic of Chile
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)
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
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Executive branch: president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso
Nacional) consisting of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower
house or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Patricio
AYLWIN (since 11 March 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
Concertation of Parties for Democracy now consists mainly of six
parties--Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Andres ZALDIVAR;
Party for Democracy (PPD), Erich SCHNAKE;
Radical Party (PR), Mario ASTORGA;
Democratic Socialist Radical Party (PRSD), Jorge IBANEZ;
Social Democratic Party (PSD), Rene ABELIUK; and
Socialist Party, Jorge ARRATE;
National Renovation (RN), Andres ALLAMAND;
Independent Democratic Union (UDI), Joaquin LAVIN;
Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), Volodia TEITELBOIM;
Movement of Revolutionary Left (MIR) is splintered, no single
leader
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December
1993 or January 1994);
results--Patricio AYLWIN (PDC) 55.2%, Hernan BUCHI 29.4%, other 15.4%;
Senate--last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December
1993 or January 1994); seats--(46 total, 38 elected)
Concertation of Parties for Democracy 22 (PDC 13, PPD 5, PR 2, PSD 1,
PRSD 1), RN 6, UDI 2, independents 8;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held
December 1993 or January 1994); seats--(120 total)
Concertation of Parties for Democracy 72 (PDC 38, PPD 17, PR 5, other
12), RN 29, UDI 11, right-wing independents 8
Communists: The PCCh is currently in the process of regaining
legal party status and has less than 60,000 members
Other political or pressure groups: revitalized university student
federations at all major universities dominated by opposition political
groups; 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, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Patricio SILVA Echenique;
Chancery at 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone
(202) 785-1746; there are Chilean Consulates General in Chicago, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador Charles A. GILLESPIE, Jr.; Embassy at Codina
Building, 1343 Agustinas, Santiago (mailing address is APO Miami 34033);
telephone 56 (2) 710133 or 710190, 710326, 710375
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: In 1990 economic growth slowed from an average of 6.2%
for the previous six years to about 1.5% as a result of tight monetary
policy aimed at reducing inflation. Monetary policy was not
successful at slowing price increases until the end of the year,
however, and inflation, stimulated by higher world oil prices,
increased to 27.3% in 1990 from 21.4% in 1989. Copper prices held strong
in 1990, helping to maintain a balance-of-payments surplus and increase
international reserves. Most observers expect that inflationary
pressures have run their course and price increases will slow during
1991, contributing to growth of 4-5%.
GDP: $26 billion, per capita $2,000; real growth rate 2.0% (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 27.3% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 5.6% (1990)
Budget: revenues $6.6 billion; expenditures $7.1 billion,
including capital expenditures of $575 million (1990 est.)
Exports: $8.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--copper 48%, industrial products 33%, molybdenum,
iron ore, wood pulp, fishmeal, fruits;
partners--EC 34%, US 22%, Japan 10%, Brazil 7%
Imports: $7.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--petroleum, wheat, capital goods, spare parts, raw
materials;
partners--EC 23%, US 20%, Japan 10%, Brazil 9%
External debt: $18.4 billion (February 1991)
Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1990);
accounts for 30% of GDP
Electricity: 4,138,000 kW capacity; 17,784 million kWh produced,
1,360 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing,
iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement,
textiles
Agriculture: accounts for about 8% 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; 1986 fish catch of 5.6 million metric tons net agricultural
importer
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $521
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $1.4 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $386 million
Currency: Chilean peso (plural--pesos);
1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1--337.24 (January
1991), 305.06 (1990), 267.16 (1989), 245.05 (1988), 219.54 (1987), 193.02
(1986), 161.08 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: 8,613 km total; 4,257 km 1.676-meter gauge, 135 km
1.435-meter standard gauge, 4,221 km 1.000-meter gauge; electrification,
1,865 km 1.676-meter gauge, 80 km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways: 79,025 km total; 9,913 km paved, 33,140 km gravel,
35,972 km improved and unimproved earth (1984)
Inland waterways: 725 km
Pipelines: crude oil, 755 km; refined products, 785 km;
natural gas, 320 km
Ports: Antofagasta, Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas,
Valparaiso, San Antonio, Talcahuano, Arica
Merchant marine: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 485,935
GRT/800,969 DWT; includes 14 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3
roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1
chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 bulk;
note--in addition, 2 naval tanker and 2 military transport are sometimes
used commercially
Civil air: 22 major transport aircraft
Airports: 392 total, 353 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
55 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: modern telephone system based on extensive
radio relay facilities; 768,000 telephones; stations--159 AM, no FM,
131 TV, 11 shortwave; satellite stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3
domestic
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Army of the Nation, National Navy (including Naval Air
and Marines), Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros of Chile (National
Police)
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 3,544,962; 2,647,148 fit for
military service; 119,511 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: $737 million, 3% of GNP (1991 est.)