About Chile...
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. With Ecuador, it is one of two countries in South America which do not border Brazil. The Pacific coastline of Chile is 6,435 kilometres. Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas and Easter Island. Chile also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty. Currently, Chile is one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations. It leads Latin American nations in human development, competitiveness, quality of life, political stability, globalization, economic freedom, low perception of corruption and comparatively low poverty rates. It also ranks high regionally in freedom of the press and democratic development. However, it has a high income inequality, as measured by the Gini index. In May 2010 Chile became the first South American country to join the OECD. Chile is also a founding member of both the United Nations and the Union of South American Nations. Chile has a dynamic 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% during the period 1991-1997, 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 Asian financial crisis. Chile's economy has since recovered and has seen growth rates of 5-7% over the past several years. In 2006, Chile became the country with the highest nominal GDP per capita in Latin America.
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| Exports To Chile Facts |
| Location: |
Southern South America |
| Coordinates: |
30 00 S, 71 00 W |
| Int. Dialing Code: |
+56 |
| Currency: |
Chilean Pesos |
| Language: |
Spanish |
| Area: |
756,102 sq km |
| Capital City: |
Santiago |
| Population: |
16,601,707 (July 2009 est.) |
| Population Ranking: |
60 |
| Employment: |
90% |
| Inflation: |
1.7% (2009 est.) |
| GDP: |
$243.7 billion (2009 est.) |
| GDP Ranking: |
46 |
| GDP Growth: |
-1.7% (2009 est.) |
| Internet Users: |
5.456 million (2008) |
| Television Stations: |
63 |
| Phone Lines: |
3.526 million (2008) |
| Mobile Phones: |
14.797 million (2008) |
| Major Industry: |
copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles |
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