Chile
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry information - Chile
Country name - conventional long form : Republic of Chile
Country name - conventional short form : Chile
Country name - local long form : Republica de Chile
Country name - local short form : Chile
Country name - former :
Country code : CI
Government type : republic
Capital - name : Santiago
Capital - time difference : UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Population : 16,454,143 (July 2008 est.)
Nationality - noun : Chilean(s)
Nationality - adjective : Chilean
Languages : Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English
Currency (code) : Chilean peso (CLP)
Currency code : CLP
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk :
Major infectious diseases - note :
Chile is located Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru. The climate is temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south. The terrain is low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians (also known as Mapuches) inhabited central and southern Chile. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the 1880s that the Araucanian Indians were completely subjugated. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.
