Country Facts - Chile

The People

Nationality
Chilean(s)

Ethnic Composition

White and White Amerindian	95%
Amerindian	3%
Other	2%

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	89%
Protestant	11%

Languages Spoken

Spanish (official), as well as some Amerindian dialects.

Education and Literacy

State schools provide free, compulsory primary education. Adult literacy stands at 95.2 percent.

Labor Force

Total: 5.9 million (2000)

By occupation:

Services	59%
Industry	27%
Agriculture	14%

(1997)

Geography

Land Mass Total

292,260 sq mi (756,950 sq km)
Note: Includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y G ómez

Land

289,113 sq mi (748,800 sq km)

Water

3,146 sq mi (8,150 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 3,834 mi (6,171 km)

Border countries: Argentina 3,200 mi (5,150 km), Bolivia 535 mi (861 km), Peru 99 mi (160 km).

Coastline

3,998 mi (6,435 km)

Maritime claim

Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200/350 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south.

Terrain

Low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Pacific Ocean 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Cerro Aconcagua 22,841 ft (6,962 m)

Natural Resources

Copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower.

Land use

Arable land	3%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	97%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis.

Environment - current issues

Widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage.

Geography Note

Strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions.

Demographics

Population

15,498,930 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	26.9%	Male: 2,127,696	Female: 2,033,201
15-64 years:	65.6%	Male: 5,070,476	Female: 5,103,490
65 years and over:	7.5%	Male: 482,846	Female: 681,221

Growth Rate

1.09% (2002)

Life Expectancy

76.14 years (2002)
female: 79.62 years
male: 72.83 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$10,000 (2001)

Infant Mortality

9.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.71 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.98 male(s)/female

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio Aylwin - which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8 percent during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of 1999, exports and economic activity had begun to recover, and growth rebounded to 5.4 percent in 2000. Unemployment remains stubbornly high, however, putting pressure on President Lagos to improve living standards. The Argentine financial meltdown has put pressure on the Chilean peso and is slowing the country's economic growth. Meanwhile, Chile and the U.S. are conducting negotiations for a free trade agreement. Chile's investment policy has been widely praised by international agencies, but it has caused concern among major investors unwilling to submit to the strictures of Chilean regulation and profit repatriation procedures. Unemployment and underemployment remain big problems as Chile enters 2003.

Unemployment

10.1% (2001)

Inflation Rate

3.5% (2001)

Industries

Copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles.

Exports

US$18.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$18 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$153 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

US 17%, Japan 14%, UK 6%, Brazil 5%, China 5% (2000)

Top Import Partners

US 19%, Argentina 16%, Brazil 7%, China 6%, Japan 4% (2000)

Top Exports

Copper, fish, fruits, paper and pulp, chemicals.

Top Imports

Consumer goods, chemicals, motor vehicles, fuels, electrical machinery, heavy industrial machinery, food.

Debt - external

US$39.6 billion (2001)

Economic aid

ODA, $40 million (2001)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year.

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	9a.m. to 1p.m. and 2p.m. to 6p.m.	Closed
Retail	10a.m. to 2p.m., 4p.m. to 8p.m. Supermarkets and large shopping centers open from 10a.m. to 9p.m.	Saturday 10a.m. to 2p.m. Sundays: Supermarkets and malls only 11a.m. to 9p.m.
Banks	9a.m. to 2p.m.	Closed
Government	8:30a.m. to 12:30p.m. and 2p.m. to 6p.m. (Rural hours may differ.)	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
Easter Monday	April 21	April 12	March 28
Labor Day	May 1	May1	May 1
Ascension²	May 29	May 20	May 6
Corpus Christi³	June 19	June 10	May 26
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	August 15	August 15	August 15
National Unity Day	September 6	September 6	September 6
Independence Day	September 18	September 18	September 18
Army Day	September 19	September 19	September 19
Dia de la Raza	October 12	October 12	October 12
All Saints' Day	November 1	November 1	November 1
Immaculate Conception	December 8	December 8	December 8
Christmas Day*¹	December 25	December 25	December 25
Bank Holiday	December 31	December 31	December 31

¹	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
²	The feast of Ascension takes place 40 days after Easter in both the Christian and Orthodox faiths and celebrates the ascent of Christ into Heaven.
³	Western Catholic feast commemorating the Eucharist, takes place 60 days after Easter, and is typically the time when believers take their first communion.
*¹	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press