Country Information on Chile 

Terrain

Chile can be divided by longitude into three topographic zones: the Andes range in the east; the lower coastal mountains in the west, parallel to the shoreline; and the Great Longitudinal Valley between these ranges. The Andes are widest in the north and get narrower towards the south. The highest peak, in the southern part of the Andes, is Ojos del Salado (6,893 m).

Climate

Due to the fact that Chile stretches out along the longitude, it has very diverse climatic zones. Snow, wind, and rain prevail in the extreme south, in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego; the highest summer temperatures are around 11°C. In central Chile a rather Mediterranean climate prevails, with a rainy season from May to August. In July the temperature averages around 10°C, whereas in January temperatures reach around 28°C. With the exception of the high mountain regions, temperatures are generally moderate, owing to the oceanic Humboldt Current.

Fauna/Flora

In the north of the country there are deserts and steppes, in which only few cacti, succulents, briars, and other plants grow. Further south, near the coast, there are forests with abundant vegetation, and the frequent fog there partly meets its need for water.

The more humid Central Valley is a steppe which supports several species of cacti, espino (a thorny shrub), and numerous grasses. At higher altitudes (between 500 and 1,800 m), towards the Andes, coniferous forests prevail.

South of Valdivia is the rest of the temperate rainforest, which is frost-free and has periods of high precipitation. It contains numerous laurels, magnolias, and lianas with colourful blossoms.

Indigenous mammals include the llama, the alpaca, the vicuña, the guanaco, the puma, the Andean jackal or Magellan fox, the pudu (a small deer), the chinchilla and the huemal (a large deer), which is a rare animal that lives at high altitudes.

History/Politics

In 1535, Diego de Almagro set out from Peru to conquer Chile and later became a General Captain during colonial times. In 1810, Chile, together with other colonies in America, sought political independence from Spain. In 1818, General Bernardo O'Higgins, a leading independence fighter, proclaimed Chile's independence.

The War of the Pacific (1879-1884) found Chile fighting Peru and Bolivia. A victorious Chile was in a position to move its borders further north, leaving Bolivia without access to the sea. The worldwide economic crisis of 1929-30 destroyed Chile's export-oriented agro-mineral economy which would only recover upon the introduction of an economic substitute programme to lower dependency on imports. The programme was to be the basis of an extensive Popular Front movement in 1936, led by radical Pedro Aguirre Cerda, who was elected president in 1938. In 1942, the coalition was again successful, and Juan Antonio Rios, member of the Radical Party, was elected president.

He attempted to mediate, though there were internal tensions resulting from World War II and caused by groups who interceded in favour of supporting the USA and others in favour of the Axis Powers. Later, Rios chose to actively support the Allies and Chile joined forces with the USA when it entered the war in 1944. During the war the Communist Party became one of Chile's most powerful political organizations.

The communists, who frequently quarrelled with the other members of the government, were dismissed from the cabinet in 1947. Before the next presidential elections of 1970, the left opposition formed the Unidad Popular coalition and appointed Salvador Allende as their candidate.

Allende based his election campaign on a comprehensive concept of "socialism in freedom". It included the complete nationalization of all industrial sectors, foreign banks, and companies that had a monopoly on mining. This meant buying Chile's freedom from foreign shares, particularly from US capital. Furthermore, the concept included the implementation of an agricultural reform, social improvement, and various democratic concessions. Allende obtained 37% of votes and therefore won the election.

However, in 1973, General Augusto Pinochet seized power in a bloody coup, in which Allende was overthrown and assassinated. In the following years oppression reigned and thousands of Chileans lost their lives. In 1989, free parliamentary elections were held and Pinochet handed over his power to the new democratically elected president Patricio Aylwin. In 2000, Ricardo Lagos won the elections, becoming the first socialist president of Chile since 1973.

Economy

From the early 20th century onwards, the Chilean economy depended on copper mining. As of the 1940s, however, various governmental measures were put into place to develop the industrial sector. Chile is now one of Latin America's leading industrial nations and producers of raw materials.

In the 1970s, great pains were taken to increase agricultural output, which had until then been neglected, and thus to make the country less dependent on food imports. Nevertheless, agriculture remains a relatively small economic sector, covering approximately 8% of gross domestic product, compared with industry (34%) and the services sector (58%). In 2003, the inflation rate reached 3.4% and the unemployment rate was 8.5%.

Culture

Chilean culture is largely dominated by two contrasting but lively trends: the cosmopolitan culture of the well-off city-dwellers, and the folk culture, which prevails in the country. It has Spanish but also Araucan influences, which are clearest in Chilean music and dance. Chile possesses a rich and flourishing literary tradition, demonstrated by the Nobel Prize-winning poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda.