Chile

Chile Geography

Location
Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru

Geographic coordinates
30 00 S, 71 00 W

Area
total: 756,950 sq km
land: 748,800 sq km
water: 8,150 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez

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
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200/350 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% (2001)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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



- Info Provided by the CIA World Factbook -