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Country Profile Chile

Capital: Santiago
Population: 17.094.275 (2010)
Currency: Chilean peso (CLP)
Language: Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English
Time zone:UTC-4
Government:Republic
Chief of State:President Sebastian Piñera

GDP real growth rate :
- 4% (2008 est.)
- 5.1% (2007 est.)
- 4.3% (2006 est.)
Main Export Partners (2007):
- China 14.8%
- US 12.5%
- Japan 10.5%
- Netherlands 5.8%
- South Korea 5.7%
- Italy 5.1%
- Brazil 5%
Main Import partners(2007):
- US 16.7%
- China 11.2%
- Brazil 10.3%
- Argentina 9.9%
Country dialing code: +56
Emergency numbers: 133 to contact the police131 for medical assitance
National airline: Lan Chile (part of One world group with Quantas and British Airways)
Voltage: 220V

Detailed country profile

ECONOMY

GDP real growth rate:

4% (2008 est.)
5.1% (2007 est.)
4.3% (2006 est.)

GDP- Composition by sector (2008)

Agriculture: 4.8%
Industry: 50.5%
Services: 44.7%

Labor force by occupation(2005):

Agriculture: 13.1%
Industry: 23%
Services: 63.9%

Agriculture products:

Grapes
Apples
Pears
Onions
Wheat
Corn
Oats
Peaches
Garlic
Asparagus
Beans
Beef
Poultry
Wool
Fish
Timber

Industries:

Copper
Other minerals
Foodstuffs
Fish processing
Iron and steel
Wood and wood products
Transport equipment
Cement
Textiles

Exports: $69.1 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Export Commodities:

Copper
Fruit
Fish products
Paper and pulp
Chemicals
Wine

Main Export Partners(2007):

China 14.8%
US 12.5%
Japan 10.5%
Netherlands 5.8%
South Korea 5.7%
Italy 5.1%
Brazil 5%

Imports:$59.17 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Import commodities:

Petroleum and petroleum products
Chemicals
Electrical and telecommunications equipment
Industrial machinery
Vehicles
Natural gas

Import partners(2007):

US 16.7%
China 11.2%
Brazil 10.3%
Argentina 9.9%

Ports and Terminals:

Coronel
Huasco
Lirquen
Puerto Ventanas
San Antonio
San Vicente
Valparaiso

Unemployment rate:7.5% (2008 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Government Type:Republic

Executive Branch:

Chief of state: President Sebastian Pinera
Note the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term

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; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system

GEOGRAPHY

Land Boundaries:total: 6,339 km

Border countries:

Argentina 5,308 km
Bolivia 860 km
Peru 171 km

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

Environment and international agreement:

Party to:

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources
Antarctic Seals
Antarctic Treaty
Biodiversity
Climate Change
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Desertification
Endangered Species
Environmental Modification
Hazardous Wastes
Law of the Sea
Marine Dumping
Ozone Layer Protection
Ship Pollution
Wetlands
Whaling

Environment and current issues:

Widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources
Air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions
Water pollution from raw sewage

PEOPLE

Ethnic groups:

White and white-Amerindian 95.4%
Mapuche 4%
Other indigenous groups 0.6%

Languages:

Spanish (official)
Mapudungun
German
English

Religion:

Roman Catholic 70%
Evangelical 15.1%
Jehovah's Witness 1.1%
Other Christian 1%
Other 4.6%
None 8.3%

HISTORY

Express History

Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians (also known as Mapuches) inhabited central and southern Chile.

Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern regions.

It was not until the 1880s that the Araucanian Indians were completely subjugated. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990.

Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

Source: The world factbook www.cia.gov

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>>Learn about etiquette in Chile, click here Etiquette Chile

>>Get the list of embassies and consulates in Chile, click here Embassy Chile

>>Find the latest Trade Agreements with Chile, click here Trade Agreement Chile

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