Chile

This article is about the Republic of Chile. For other uses, see Chile (disambiguation).

Republic of Chile
República de Chile (Spanish)
Motto: Por la razón o la fuerza
("By reason or by force")
Anthem: Himno Nacional de Chile
("National Anthem of Chile")
Chilean territory in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled territory in light green
Chilean territory in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled territory in light green
Capital
and largest city
Santiagoa
33°26′S 70°40′W / 33.433°S 70.667°W / -33.433; -70.667
National languageSpanish
Religion
(2021)[1]
  • 37% no religion
  • 6% other
Demonym(s)
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
Gabriel Boric
José García Ruminot
Karol Cariola
Juan Fuentes Belmar
LegislatureNational Congress
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
Chamber of Deputies
Independence 
from Spain
18 September 1810
• Declared
12 February 1818
• Recognized
25 April 1844
11 March 1981
Area
• Total
756,101.96[2][3] km2 (291,932.60 sq mi)b (37th)
• Water (%)
2.1 (as of 2015)[4]
Population
• 2023 estimate
19,629,588[5] (63rd)
• Density
24/km2 (62.2/sq mi) (198th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $674.388 billion[6] (45th)
• Per capita
Increase $33,574[6] (64th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Decrease $328.720 billion[6] (45th)
• Per capita
Decrease $16,365[6] (62nd)
Gini (2021)Negative increase 46[7]
high inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.860[8]
very high (44th)
CurrencyChilean peso (CLP)
Time zoneUTC−4 and −6 (CLT and EAST)
• Summer (DST)
UTC-3 and −5
April to September
Calling code+56
ISO 3166 codeCL
Internet TLD.cl
  1. Legislature is based in Valparaíso.
  2. Includes Easter Island and Isla Salas y Gómez; does not include 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of territory claimed in Antarctica.

Chile,[a] (US: /ˈtʃɪl.i/) officially the Republic of Chile,[b] is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Chile had a population of 17.5 million as of the latest census in 2017 and has a territorial area of 756,102 square kilometers (291,933 sq mi),[10][3] sharing borders with Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. The country also controls several Pacific islands, including Juan Fernández, Isla Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island, and claims about 1,250,000 square kilometers (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica as the Chilean Antarctic Territory.[nb 2] The capital and largest city of Chile is Santiago, and the national language is Spanish.

Spain conquered and colonized the region in the mid-16th century, replacing Inca rule, but failed to conquer the independent Mapuche people who inhabited what is now south-central Chile. Chile emerged as a relatively stable authoritarian republic in the 1830s after their 1818 declaration of independence from Spain. During the 19th century, Chile experienced significant economic and territorial growth, putting an end to Mapuche resistance in the 1880s and gaining its current northern territory in the War of the Pacific (1879–83) by defeating Peru and Bolivia. In the 20th century, up until the 1970s, Chile underwent a process of democratization[11][12] and experienced rapid population growth and urbanization,[13] while relying increasingly on exports from copper mining to support its economy.[14][15] During the 1960s and 1970s, the country was marked by severe left-right political polarization and turmoil, which culminated in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état that overthrew Salvador Allende's democratically elected left-wing government. This was followed by a 16-year right-wing military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet, which resulted in more than 3,000 deaths or disappearances.[16] The regime ended in 1990, following a referendum in 1988, and was succeeded by a center-left coalition, which ruled until 2010.

Chile is a developing country with a high-income economy and is one of the most economically and socially stable nations in South America.[17] Chile also performs well in the region in terms of sustainability of the state and democratic development.[18] Chile is a founding member of the United Nations, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Pacific Alliance, and joined the OECD in 2010.

  1. ^ "Country Summary". Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Compendio estadístico 2006" (PDF). Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas. October 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Chile country profile". BBC News. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Our World in Data". Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (Chile)". International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Inequality – Income inequality". OECD. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. p. 288. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  10. ^ "Resutados Censo 2017" (PDF). National Statistics Institute. 1 January 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Elecciones, sufragio y democracia en Chile (1810–2012)". Memoria Chilena (in Spanish). National Library of Chile. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Sufragio femenino universal". Memoria Chilena (in Spanish). National Library of Chile. Archived from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Desarrollo y dinámica de la población en el siglo XX". Memoria Chilena (in Spanish). National Library of Chile. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  14. ^ Salazar, Gabriel; Pinto, Julio (2002). Historia contemporánea de Chile III. La economía: mercados empresarios y trabajadores. LOM Ediciones. [ISBN missing]. Pages 124–125.
  15. ^ Villalobos, Sergio; Silva, Osvaldo; Silva, Fernando; Estelle, Patricio (1974). Historia De Chile (14th ed.). Editorial Universitaria. ISBN 956-11-1163-2. Pages 773–775.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC-Chile was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Human and income poverty: developing countries". UNDP. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009.
  18. ^ "World Development Indicators". World Bank. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2012.


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