Chile Key Facts
Location
Time
Easter Island: GMT - 6 (GMT - 5 from second Sunday in October to second Saturday in March).
Area
Population
Population Density
Capital
Geography
The Andes and a more westerly coastal highland range run parallel with each other for much of the country's length. The coastal range forms high, sloped cliffs into the sea from the northern to the central area. Between the ranges runs a fertile valley, except in the north where transverse ranges join the two major ones, and in the far south where the sea has broken through the coastal range to form an assortment of archipelagos and channels.
Wide variations in soil and a vast difference in climate are reflected in an uneven population distribution, and in a wide range of occupations. The Atacama desert, the driest in the world, is in the northern part of the country, which is also the main mining area. The central zone is Chile predominantly agricultural, and is often referred to as the breadbasket of Chile. This is where the two-thirds of the population reside. Below Concepción, there are large tracts of forested land, although the area also has some agriculture.
Government
Head of State
Recent History
Currently led by Chile's first ever woman president, Michelle Bachelet, who came to power in 2006, the country faces many familiar problems in the present era of financial instability. Prices for copper, the country's main export, have fallen sharply recently, while high inflation has sparked unrest among civil servants. Corruption scandals continue to dog certain parts of the government, in particular the Ministry of Public Works.
Chile's energy needs are also a source of much debate, with pending dam projects in the south causing much concern among environmentalists.
Language
Religion
Electricity
Social Conventions
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