- Instituto Chileno Norteamericano Curico – STN14391A
563, Estado Street,
Curico, Chile
Chile Overview
Chile is a presidential republic in southwest South America with the capital Santiago de Chile. The president is at the head of the state and has a strong position. Chile is considered a pioneer of the Latin American continent in the development of democratic institutions and a functioning civil society. It also occupies a leading position in the region in terms of economic development and integration into the global economy. The country extends as a narrow strip for almost 4,300 km between the Pacific and the Andes. It exceeds the north-south stretch of Europe by 500 km. Due to the huge north-south expansion over 39 degrees of latitude (Germany: 8), you can find all climatic zones in Chile. They range from the extremely dry Atacama desert in the north over the Andes, interspersed with fertile valleys, to the ice fields of Patagonia, the southern end of the inhabited world. 89% of the population is made up of mixed descendants of white and indigenous peoples as well as white people. 11% are indigenous. There is a relatively broad middle class and a well-developed social security system. Most of the citizens are Catholic, followed by Protestants. Spanish is the official language and lingua franca. European influences, especially the language as well as the literature, architecture and art of the Spanish immigrants, shape the culture of the Andean state. From 1539 the area was conquered by the Spaniards. Chile fought for independence from 1810-1818. Since the end of the 19th century, political development has been characterized by a relatively stable parliamentary system. The attempt of the socialist president S. Allende to achieve an improvement in the social situation through reforms (from 1970) failed in 1973 due to a bloody military coup in which he was killed. Until 1989 the military ruled under General A. Pinochet , who established a dictatorship and violently suppressed political activities. After his official duties, Chile returned to democracy in 1990, but is still busy dealing with the painful reappraisal of human rights violations under military rule. The country, which is rich in natural resources, is one of the more industrialized nations in Latin America and is the largest copper producer in the world. It is a member of the Mercosur Economic Community and has been with the EU since 2002. Chile was admitted to the OECD in 2010 as the second country in Latin America.
Country facts
- Official name: Republic of Chile
- License plate: RCH
- ISO-3166: CL, CHL (152)
- Internet domain:.cl
- Currency: 1 Chilean peso (chil $) = 100 centavos
- Area: 756 096 km²
- Population (2018): 18.7 million
- Capital: Santiago de Chile
- Official language: Spanish
- Form of government: Presidential Republic
- Administrative division: 15 regions
- Head of State: President Sebastián Piñera (since March 11, 2018)
- Religion (s): Christians (Catholics, Protestants)
- Time zone: Central European Time -5 hours
- National Day: September 18
Location and infrastructure
- Location (geographical): South America
- Position (coordinates): between 17 ° 15 ‘and 56 ° south latitude and 67 ° and 76 ° west longitude
- Climate: In the north desert climate, in central Chile warm-temperate with winter rain, in the south cool and rainy
- Highest mountain: Ojos del Salado (6,893 m)
- Road network (2016): 77 800 km
- Railway network (2014): 7,300 km
Population
- Annual population growth (2018): 0.75%
- Birth rate (2018): 13.4 per 1,000 residents.
- Death rate (2018): 6.3 per 1,000 residents.
- Average age (2018): 34.8 years
- Average life expectancy (2018): 79.1 years (men 76; women 82.2)
- Age structure (2018): 20% younger than 15 years, 11% older than 65 years
- Literacy rate (15 year olds and older) (2015): 97%
- Mobile phone contracts (pre-paid and post-paid) (2017): 127 per 100 residents
- Internet users (2017): 82 per 100 residents
Economy
- GDP per capita (2017): US $ 15,070
- Total GDP (2017): US $ 277 billion
- GNI per capita (2018): US $ 14,670
- Education expenditure (2014): 4.7% of GDP
- Military expenditure (2016): 1.87% of GDP
- Unemployment rate (15 years and older) (2016): 7.1%
Education
There is general compulsory schooling between the ages of 6 and 18. Attending state schools is free. Eight years of primary school are followed by four years in a general or vocational secondary school. Chile has around 60 state and private higher education institutions. The oldest university is the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, founded in 1842.
Media
The media can essentially report freely. Television is the most important mass medium.
Press: The economic concentration in the press is high; the market is dominated by two groups: El Mercurio S. A. P and Consorcio Periodistico de Chile S. A. (Copesa). Your daily newspapers, “El Mercurio” (founded in 1827), “La Segunda” (evening newspaper, founded in 1931) and “Las U (founded in 1950) ltimas Another traditional paper is »La Nación« (founded in 1917, majority state-owned).
News agency: Orbe Servicios Informativos, S.A., Santiago de Chile.
Broadcast: There are more than 1,000 radio stations; State is »Radio Nacional de Chile«. The oldest television stations in Chile are “Corporación de Televisión de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso” (UCV, founded 1957), “Universidad Católica de Chile Televisión” (“Canal 13”, founded 1959) and CHV (founded 1960). The public law »Televisión Nacional de Chile« (TVN, »Canal 7«) was not created until 1969. There are also numerous other TV stations.