Republic of Chile República de Chile (Spanish) | |
---|---|
Motto: Por la razón o la fuerza "By reason or by force" (in Spanish)[1] | |
Anthem: Himno Nacional de Chile (in Spanish) | |
Capital and largest city | Santiago1 |
National language | Spanish |
Other languages |
|
Demonym(s) | Chilean |
Government | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
Gabriel Boric | |
Álvaro Elizalde | |
Raúl Soto | |
María Elisa Quinteros | |
Guillermo Silva | |
Legislature | National Congress |
Senate | |
Chamber of Deputies | |
Independence from Spain | |
18 September 1810 | |
• Declared | 12 February 1818 |
• Recognized | 25 April 1844 |
11 September 1980 | |
Area | |
• Total | 756,096.3[2] km2 (291,930.4 sq mi) (37th) |
• Water (%) | 2.1 (as of 2015)[3] |
Population | |
• 2017 census | 17,574,003[4] (64th) |
• Density | 24/km2 (62.2/sq mi) (198th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $550.450 billion[5] (43rd) |
• Per capita | $27,629[5] (57th) |
GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $352.664 billion[5] (45th) |
• Per capita | $17,702[5] (55th) |
Gini (2021) | 46[6] high |
HDI (2019) | 0.851[7] very high · 43rd |
Currency | Peso (CLP) |
Time zone | UTC−4 to −6 (CLT or EAST 3) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−3 to −5 (CLST or EASST) |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +56 |
ISO 3166 code | CL |
Internet TLD | .cl |
|
Chile (officially called Republic of Chile) is a country on the south-western side of South America. Most people there speak Spanish.
Chile, which claims a part of the Antarctic continent, is the longest country on earth. The Atacama Desert, in the north of the country, is the driest place on earth. The average rainfall there is less than 0.05 mm (0.0020 in) per year. The center of Chile, with the two cities Santiago and Valparaíso, has a Mediterranean climate with an average temperature of 28 °C (82 °F) in January and 11 °C (52 °F) in July. In the middle of Chile, the country is very good for growing things.
There are about 16.9 million people living in Chile in 2009. About 10 million people live in the center of Chile around Valparaíso and Santiago, on about 20% of the total land.
Chile is a well-educated country. Only 2.7% are not able to read or write. Some believe that Chile has one of the best school systems in South America.
About 95% of Chileans are people with a combination of European descent, mostly Spanish, but also German, English, Italian and Arab people. Around 2% of the population is Native American, but most people have native ancestors. Immigrants are 7% of the population. including Peruvians, Bolivians, Colombians, Haitians, Chinese and Europeans. The majority of people are Roman Catholic (62.8%), but many do not go to church. About 10% are Protestant, and there are some Jews and Muslims as well. The country's official language is Spanish. Chili peppers, first cultivated by Native Americans from other Latin American countries and the United States, did not come from this country, although it has a similar name.
Chile's currency is the Chilean peso.