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Chile, officially the Republic of Chile (Spanish: República de Chile ), 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 6,435 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
1,250,000 km² (482,628 sq mi) of territory in Antarctica.
Chile's unusual, ribbon-like shape —4,300 km long and on average 175 km
wide— has given it a hugely varied climate, ranging from the world's driest
desert - the Atacama - in the north, through a Mediterranean 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 19th
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 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. The country, which had been
relatively free of the coups and arbitrary governments that blighted the
South American continent, endured a 17 year military dictatorship
(1973-1990), one of the bloodiest in 20th-century Latin America that left
more than 3,000 people dead and missing.
Currently, 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.
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