| Geography | Chile |  = Fields  = World Records  = Dictionary  = Bar graph  = Distribution map  = Fields History  = Definitions |
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Location:
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Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru |
Geographic coordinates:
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30 00 S, 71 00 W |
Map references:
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South America |
Area:
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total: 756,102 sq km
land: 743,812 sq km
water: 12,290 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez |
Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana |
Land boundaries:
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total: 6,339 km
border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km |
Coastline:
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6,435 km |
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200/350 nm |
Climate:
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temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south |
Terrain:
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low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m |
Natural resources:
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copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower |
Land use:
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arable land: 2.62%
permanent crops: 0.43%
other: 96.95% (2005) |
Irrigated land:
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19,000 sq km (2008) |
Total renewable water resources:
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922 cu km (2000) |
Total renewable water resources - per capita:
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54,593 cubic meters per capita |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 12.55 cu km/yr (11%/25%/64%)
per capita: 770 cu m/yr (2000) |
Natural hazards:
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severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
volcanism: Chile experiences significant volcanic activity due to the more than three-dozen active volcanoes situated within the Andes Mountains; Lascar (elev. 5,592 m), which last erupted in 2007, is the most active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes; Llaima (elev. 3,125 m) in central Chile, which last erupted in 2009, is another of the country's most active; Chaiten's 2008 eruption forced major evacuations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Cerro Hudson, Copahue, Guallatiri, Llullaillaco, Nevados de Chillan, Puyehue, San Pedro, and Villarrica |
Environment - current issues:
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widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage |
Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note:
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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; the crater lake of Ojos del Salado is the worlds highest lake (at 6,390m) |
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This page was last updated on 3 February, 2012 |
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