Chile

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia Chile at a glance Did you know? The world's greatest earthquake ever recorded occurred in Chile in 1960. It measured 9.5 and triggered a tsunami that caused loss of life as far away as California, Hawaii and Japan. Region South America Population 16,134,219 (July 2006 est.) Land Geography: Desert in north, high mountains in east, glaciers in south Climate: Warm and dry in the north; cool and damp in the south People Religion: Christian 99.9% Language: Spanish Economy GDP per person (PPP): $US12,700 (2006 est.) GDP by sector: Agriculture 5.9%; Industry 23.4%; Services 44.7% Government Republic Land Physical geography Stretching 4350 kilometres along the Pacific seaboard of South America, Chile covers a total area of 748,800 square kilometres which is slightly smaller than New South Wales (800,642 square kilometres). The desolate Atacama Desert in the north, one of the driest places on earth, is 965 kilometres long and averages 160 kilometres in width. The fertile central plains are crossed by mountain spurs from the Andes, which tower along Chile's eastern boundary. The highest peak in Chile, Ojos del Salado, is 6880 metres and is the world's largest active volcano. The southern tip is a maze of glaciers, fjords, lakes and islands. Climate Chile experiences a range of climatic conditions. In the north the Atacama Desert has an average temperature of 20°C but may experience no rain for decades at a time. Coastal fogs provide just enough moisture to support the fragile ecosystem in the desert. Central Chile has 300-350 mm of rain in winter and dry summers, with temperatures in Santiago ranging from 19.5°C in summer to 8°C in winter. The temperatures are much cooler in the south where it is often stormy, with an average annual rainfall of 4000 mm. Environment Nearly a quarter of Chile is covered in forest much but is under threat from logging and plantations causing destruction of the incredible wealth of flora and fauna. Chile's forests range from Chilean palm forests and Sclerophyllous forests in north-central Chile, to prehistoric araucaria forests, temperate rainforests, and alerce forests - trees which live for thousands of years. Wildlife includes cats, deer (including the pudú the world's smallest deer) chinchillas, the magellanic woodpecker, one of the world's largest and several rare carnivores, such as the southern river otter. People Over 85% of the population live in urban areas. The main cities are Santiago (4,434,900), Concepcion (923,000) and Valparaiso (892,600). Most cities are on the coast or, like the capital Santiago, in the middle of the country on the central plain. People Culture and identity The Spanish Conquistadors invaded the area now known as Chile in the 16 th century. Today about 95% of the population are of mixed Spanish and Indian background, known as mestizos. They following much of the Indigenous culture but speak Spanish and follow Catholicism. Chile's main group of original inhabitants were the Mapuche who lived in the central and southern regions. They have remained independent of outside influences and now number about one million. Chilean writers, including Nobel Prize winning poets Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, have international reputations. Chilean folk music is also well known. Chile produces a wide variety of traditional handcrafts, including knitting, weaving, basket-ware and pottery. Health Chile has a relatively young population with 24% aged 14 or under and only 8% over 65. The infant mortality rate is 8.58 deaths per 1,000 live births and life expectancy at birth is 76.77 years (male: 73.49 years, female: 80.21 years). There is a state-run health system as well as a private scheme and doctors usually work in both systems. While the standard of medical care is high in the big cities, it is less reliable in country areas. The city of Santiago, in a valley surrounded by mountains, has one of the world's worst air pollution problems and asthma and other respiratory diseases are common, especially during the winter months, May-August. Respiratory illness is the fourth most common cause of death after circulatory diseases, cancer and accidents. About 26,000 people (0.3%) are HIV positive. Almost all city dwellers have access to clean drinking water, but only 58% of people living in country areas have the same access, mainly because of pollution from untreated sewage. Religion and beliefs The vast majority of Chileans are Christian (Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%). There are many religious festivals celebrated in Chile with most of them being Saint Days. People wear colourful costumes to celebrate with dancing, parades, pilgrimages and worship. Food and shelter Traditional food includes empanadas (pastry turnovers filled with seafood, meat, cheese, vegetables or fruit), Pastel de Choclo (corn casserole with meat stuffing), Cazuela (stew with beef, chicken, corn, rice and potatoes) and Asado (barbecue of beef, pork or chicken). Chilean families are traditionally close and much leisure time is spent in the company of relatives around the dinner table. High rates of rural migration to Santiago have led to a serious housing shortage and people have had to live in make-shift accommodation in slum areas. To address this, the government has provided low-cost housing on the outskirts of the city which has resulted in urban sprawl and increased the distances people have to travel to work. Economy Wealth and poverty There is a huge difference between the very rich and the very poor with the top 10% sharing 47% of the wealth while the bottom 10% share just 1.2%. Sound economic policies, since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and reduced poverty rates by over half but over 18% of the population still live below the poverty line.. In an attempt to address this issue the Chilean government set up ‘Chile Solidario’ in 2002, offering employment opportunities instead of income assistance handouts. Education and work Education is compulsory for children aged 6 to 13. Literacy rates are high with 96.4% of males and 96.1% of females being able to read and write. A total of 18.7% of government spending goes to education. Industries and products Chile’s main activity sectors are mining (copper, gold and silver), manufacturing (food-processing, chemicals, wood and paper) and agriculture (wine growing, sea products and fruit growing). The tourism industry brings in over $US1 billion per year. Trade In 2006 Chile exported copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals and wine worth $58.21 billion to US 15.8%, Japan 11.5%, China 11.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, South Korea 5.5%, Brazil 4.4%, Italy 4.2% and Mexico 4%. It imported petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles and natural gas worth $35.37 billion from Argentina 14.8%, US 14.6%, Brazil 11.7%, China 7.8%, South Korea 4.8% and Yemen 4.4%. Achievements and challenges Large earthquakes are common in Chile because of the country's position on a fault line. Earthquakes in 1985 and 1995 measured 8 on the Richter scale. Chile's economy has grown rapidly over the last ten years and carbon emissions have grown with it, although a growing awareness of environmental issues is leading to changes. Chile has introduced a system of workers' unemployment insurance. Employer, employee and government contribute to a worker's individual account and unemployed workers can draw about 40 percent of their wages for up to five months anytime they are out of work and at retirement, they can claim whatever balance remains. In 1973 a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet ended Salvador Allende's elected socialist government whose nationalisation program had led to severe economic problems. During the next sixteen years tens of thousands were tortured or murdered. Democracy was restored in 1989 and in March 2006 Michelle Bachelet became Chile's first-ever female President. Links with Australia Chile and Australia share common interests in regional and global issues ranging from the environment, the Antarctic and illegal fishing, through to disarmament and regional security. In December 2006 the Australian Government commenced negotiations with Chile with the intention of developing a free trade agreement. Australian companies have investments in Chile estimated at about US$2.78 billion. Australian imports from Chile include chemical wood pastes, timber moulds, explosives and detonators, frozen fish, frozen raspberries, copper products, cereals and olives, while Chile imports coal, machine parts, mining explosives and barley from Australia. Approximately 23,000 Chilean-born people live in Australia, the majority of whom migrated following the 1973 military coup. The 2001 census showed New South Wales had the largest number with 12,630, followed by Victoria (6,670), Queensland (1,310) and Western Australia (1,220). In 2005, approximately 10,000 Australians tourists travelled to Chile while approximately 5,000 Chileans visited Australia. Main sources: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ http://www20.sbs.com.au/worldguide/ http://hdr.undp.org/ http://www.dfat.gov.au/

The guanaco, related to llamas, alpacas and vicuñas, is prized for its fine wool. © Santa Alicia Winery