Chile

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Chilean Andes
  - The intermediate depression
  - The coastal cordilleras
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
  - The northern desert
  - Mediterranean central Chile
  - Southern Chile
- Plant and animal life
- Settlement patterns
People
Economy
- Resources
  - Mineral resources, noncarboniferous
  - Energy resources
  - Forestry resources
  - Fishing resources
- Agriculture
- Industry
- Trade and finance
- Transportation
Administration and social conditions
- Government
- Education
- Health and welfare
Cultural life
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Recreation
- Press and broadcasting
History
- Precolonial period
- Colonial period
- Struggle for independence
- Chile from 1818 to 1920
  - The conservative hegemony, 1830–61
    - Economic prosperity
    - Political diversification
  - The widening of liberal influence, 1861–91
    - Political factions
    - European influences
    - The War of the Pacific (1879–83)
  - Political development, 1891–1920
    - Growth of the middle and lower classes
    - Formation of new political parties
    - Decline of the ruling class
- Chile after 1920
  - Political uncertainty, 1920–38
    - Effects of the world depression
    - Return to constitutional normality
  - The Radical presidencies, 1938–52
    - The presidencies of Aguirre Cerda and Ríos
    - The presidency of Gabriel González Videla
  - Political stagnation, 1952–64
    - The presidency of Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez
    - New political groupings
  - A period of change, 1964–73
    - The presidency of Frei Montalva
    - The socialist experiment
  - The military dictatorship, from 1973
- Chile in the 21st century
  - The return of socialist rule: the presidencies of Ricardo Lagos (2000–06) and Michelle Bachelet (2006–10)
  - The first presidency of Sebastián Piñera (2010–14)
  - The second presidency of Michelle Bachelet (2014–18)
  - The second presidency of Sebastián Piñera (2018–22)
  - The presidency of Gabriel Boric (2022– )

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

Chile: Lake Villarrica

Santiago, Chile

Physical features of Chile

Predicting an eruption of Llaima volcano in Chile

Chile: Lake Nordenskjöld

Chile: glacial lake

For Students

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The San Pedro de Atacama Church in San Pedro near the Atacama Desert in northern Chile in South America.

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Chile: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

China Accuses US of Interfering in Its Latin America Ties • Apr. 18, 2025, 5:04 AM ET (Newsweek)

Chinese embassy in Chile accuses US of ‘hegemonism’ over Trump nominee’s remarks • Apr. 16, 2025, 1:43 PM ET (South China Morning Post)

Copper Traders, Manufacturers Discuss Chile Smelter Funding • Apr. 15, 2025, 8:29 AM ET (Bloomberg.com)

Chile’s Resurgent Hard Right Forms Pact for Congressional Vote • Apr. 15, 2025, 6:14 AM ET (Bloomberg.com)

Two fans die in Chile before a Copa Libertadores match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza • Apr. 11, 2025, 1:17 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Republic of Chile • República de Chile
Head Of State And Government	President: Gabriel Boric
Capital	Santiago¹
Population	(2025 est.) 20,213,000
Currency Exchange Rate	1 USD equals 958.078 Chilean peso
Form Of Government	multiparty republic with two legislative houses (Senate [38]; Chamber of Deputies [120])
Official Language	Spanish
Official Religion	none
Official Name	República de Chile (Republic of Chile)
Total Area (Sq Km)	756,096
Total Area (Sq Mi)	291,929
Monetary Unit	peso (Ch$)
Population Rank	(2025) 66
Population Projection 2030	19,477,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 69.2
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 26.7
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2019) 88.4% • Rural: (2019) 11.6%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2021) 76.1 years • Female: (2021) 82.1 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2022) 97% • Female: (2022) 97%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 310,628
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 15,800
¹Legislative bodies meet in Valparaíso.

Photos and Videos

Chile: Lake Villarrica

Santiago, Chile

Physical features of Chile

Chile: Lake Nordenskjöld

Chile: glacial lake

Santiago: University of Chile

Predicting an eruption of Llaima volcano in Chile

Discover Chile's rich copper reserves under the Atacama Desert sands and how they are mined

The dangerous journey around Cape Horn

A day in the life of a penguin researcher

Unearth copper reserves under Chile's Atacama Desert and learn how copper is processed and traded

National anthem of Chile

See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

League of Nations War of the Pacific Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Andean Community UNASUR list of presidents of Chile Capture of Valdivia Latin American Integration Association Antarctic Treaty list of countries in Latin America United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

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Latin America

history of Latin America

Map showing the countries of South America with national capitals and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic and Pacific.

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continent

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national capital, Chile

Valparaíso

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region, Chile

Valparaíso región, Chile

Valparaíso

region, Chile

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Chile

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Quiz

10:087 Ocean: The World of Water, two globes showing eastern and western hemispheres

You Name It!

Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)

Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

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Countries & Their Features

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Actual continental drift of plates. Thematic map.

Geography Fun Facts

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Countries of the World

Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

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The Country Quiz

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List

The San Pedro de Atacama Church in San Pedro near the Atacama Desert in northern Chile in South America.

5 Buildings You Have to See in Chile