Chile, officially the Republic of Chile (
Spanish
:
República de Chile
(
help
·
info
)
), is a country in
South America
occupying a long and narrow
coastal
strip wedged between the
Andes
mountains and the
Pacific Ocean
. It borders
Peru
to the north,
Bolivia
to the northeast,
Argentina
to the east, and the
Drake Passage
at the country's southernmost tip. The Pacific forms the country's entire western border, with a coastline that stretches over , kilometres.
Chilean territory extends to the Pacific Ocean which includes the overseas territories of
Juan Fernández Islands
, the
Sala y Gómez
islands, the
Desventuradas Islands
and
Easter Island
located in
Polynesia
. Chile claims ,,km² (,sqmi) of
territory in Antarctica
.
Chile's unusual, ribbon-like shape —, km long and on average km wide— has given it a hugely varied climate, ranging from the world's driest desert - the
Atacama
- in the north, through a
Merranean climate
in the centre, to a snow-prone Alpine climate in the south, with
glaciers
,
fjords
and
lakes
.
The northern Chilean desert contains great mineral wealth, principally
copper
. The relatively small central area dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources. This area also is the cultural and political center from which Chile expanded in the late th century, when it incorporated its northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in
forests
and grazing lands and features a string of
volcanoes
and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords,
inlets
,
canals
, twisting
peninsulas
, and islands. The
Andes
Mountains are located on the eastern border.
Prior to the coming of the
Spanish
in the
th 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 , decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until . In the
War of the Pacific
(-), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the s that the Araucanian Indians were completely subjugated.
The country, which had been relatively free of the coups and arbitrary governments that blighted the
South American
continent, endured a year military dictatorship (-), one of the bloodiest in th-century Latin America that left more than , people dead and missing.
Chile is one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations.
Within the greater Latin American context it leads in terms of
competitiveness
,
quality of life
, political stability
,
globalization
,
economic freedom
, low
corruption
perception
, low levels of
unemployment
and
poverty
. It also ranks high regionally in
freedom of the press
,
human development
and democratic development
. Its status as the region's richest country in terms of
gross domestic product per capita
(at
market prices
and
purchasing power parity
) is countered by its high level of
inequality
, as measured by the
Gini index
.
It is rated as the most peaceful country in Latin America and ranked th in the world according to the
Global Peace Index
.
Chile is also a founding member of the
United Nations
.
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