Geography of Chile

Geography of Chile
ContinentSouth America
RegionSouthern Cone
Coordinates30°00'S 70°00' W
AreaRanked 38th
 • Total756,102 km2 (291,933 sq mi)
 • Land98.4%
 • Water1.6%
Coastline6,435 km (3,999 mi)
BordersTotal land borders:
7,801 km (4,847 mi)
Argentina:
6,691 km (4,158 mi)
Bolivia:
942 km (585 mi)
Peru:
168 km (104 mi)
Highest pointOjos del Salado in Andes of Atacama Region
6,893 m (22,615 ft)
Lowest pointPacific Ocean, 0 m
Longest riverLoa River, 440 km (273 mi)
Largest lakeGeneral Carrera Lake

The geography of Chile is extremely diverse, as the country extends from a latitude of 17° South to Cape Horn at 56° and from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Andes in the east. Chile is situated in southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean and a small part of the South Atlantic Ocean. Chile's territorial shape is considered among the world's most unusual; from north to south, the country extends 4,270 km (2,653 mi), and yet it only averages 177 km (110 mi) in width. Chile reaches from the middle of South America's west coast straight down to the southern tip of the continent, where it curves slightly eastward. The Diego Ramírez Islands and Cape Horn, the southernmost points in the Americas where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet, are Chilean territory. Chile's northern neighbors are Peru and Bolivia, and its border with Argentina to the east, at 5,150 km (3,200 mi), is the world's third-longest. The total land area is 756,102 km2 (291,933 sq mi). The very long coastline of 6,435 km (3,999 mi) gives Chile the 11th largest exclusive economic zone of 3,648,532 km2 (1,408,706 sq mi).