|
|
| |
Chile |
|
Click
to enlarge |
Home Reference
Maps Appendixes
| Background: |
A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial
military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected
president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, first implemented
by the PINOCHET dictatorship, led to unprecedented growth in 1991-97
and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative
government. |
| Location: |
Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina
and Peru |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
30 00 S, 71 00 W |
| Map
references: |
South
America |
| Area: |
total: 756,950 sq km
land: 748,800 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y
Gomez
water: 8,150 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 6,171 km
border countries: Argentina
5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km |
| Coastline: |
6,435 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200/350 NM
exclusive economic
zone: 200 NM |
| Climate: |
temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and
damp in south |
| Terrain: |
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
|
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m |
| Natural
resources: |
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower
|
| Land
use: |
arable land: 2.65%
permanent crops: 0.42%
other: 96.93% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
18,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis |
| Environment
- current issues: |
widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air
pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from
raw sewage |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine
Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban |
| Geography
- note: |
strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama
Desert is one of world's driest regions
|
| Population: |
15,665,216 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 26.4% (male 2,112,251; female 2,018,099)
15-64 years: 66% (male 5,151,551; female 5,180,607)
65
years and over: 7.7% (male 499,441; female 703,267) (2003 est.)
|
| Median
age: |
total: 29.5 years
male: 28.6 years
female:
30.4 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.05% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
16.1 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.63 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 8.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
8.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 9.68 deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 76.35 years
male: 73.04 years
female: 79.82 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.09 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean |
| Ethnic
groups: |
white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL% |
| Languages: |
Spanish |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total
population: 96.2%
male: 96.4%
female: 96.1%
(2003 est.)
|
| Economy
- overview: |
Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of
foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a role
model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government
of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened
the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in
real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in
1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current
account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the
latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated
the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric
shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative
economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the
effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong
financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest
sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of 1999, exports
and economic activity had begun to recover, and growth rebounded to
4.4% in 2000. Growth fell back to 2.8% in 2001 and 1.8% in 2002, largely
due to lackluster global growth and the devaluation of the Argentine
peso. Unemployment remains stubbornly high, putting pressure on President
LAGOS to improve living standards. One bright spot was the signing of
a free trade agreement with the US on 11 December 2002. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $151 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
1.8% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 11%
industry: 34%
services:
55% (2001) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
21% (1998 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 1.3%
highest 10%: 45.6% (1998) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
56.7 (1998) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.5% (2002 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
5.9 million (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 14%, industry 27%, services 59% (1997 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
9.2% (2002) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $17 billion
expenditures: $17 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
| Industries: |
copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel,
wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-1.5% (2002 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
41.66 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 47%
hydro: 51.5%
other:
1.5% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
40.13 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
1.386 billion kWh (2001) |
| Oil
- production: |
13,640 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- consumption: |
241,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- exports: |
NA (2001) |
| Oil
- imports: |
NA (2001) |
| Oil
- proved reserves: |
81.05 million bbl (January 2002 est.) |
| Natural
gas - proved reserves: |
67.78 billion cu m (January 2002 est.) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, fruit; beef, poultry,
wool; fish; timber |
| Exports: |
$17.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
copper, fish, fruits, paper and pulp, chemicals |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 17.9%, Japan 12.2%, UK 5.9%, Brazil 5.4%, China (2001) |
| Imports: |
$15.6 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
consumer goods, chemicals, motor vehicles, fuels, electrical machinery,
heavy industrial machinery, food |
| Imports
- partners: |
Argentina 18.1%, US 17.0%, Brazil 8.5%, China 5.9%, Japan (2001) |
| Debt
- external: |
$40.4 billion (2002) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
ODA, $40 million (2001 est.) |
| Currency: |
Chilean peso (CLP) |
| Currency
code: |
CLP |
| Exchange
rates: |
Chilean pesos per US dollar - 688.953 (2002), 634.938 (2001), 535.466
(2000), 508.777 (1999), 460.287 (1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
|
|
|
