Chile
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Access
Chile can be reached from Europe by air with direct flights or with a stopover in Madrid, to the Arturo Merino BenĂtez International Airport in Santiago de Chile, and with stopovers at the airports of Iquique (north), Antofagasta (Atacama), Puerto Montt (Lake District) and Punta Arenas (Patagonia). From Buenos Aires, the border with Chile is crossed by several trans-Andean roads, the main one being the Cristo Redentor pass connecting Mendoza and Santiago. From Bolivia the main crossings are Tambo Quemado-Chungará and Colchane-Pisiga. From Peru the border is crossed at Tacna-Arica. Chile is one of the longest countries in the world (4,300 km from north to south) and the internal distances are enormous: from the Atacama Desert to Patagonia one travels over 40 hours by bus. The Carretera Austral, which is incomplete and can only be partly travelled by ferry, connects Puerto Montt with Villa O'Higgins. For Torres del Paine the starting point is Puerto Natales, which can be reached by plane from Punta Arenas or by bus from Argentina.
.Introduction
Chile is the longest and narrowest country in the world, stretching more than 4,300 km from north to south between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, with an average width of only 177 km. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the north-east and Argentina to the east along the Andean ridge. The terrain is exceptionally diverse: the Atacama Desert in the north is the most arid in the non-polar world; the central zone is temperate and fertile with the country's main vineyards; Patagonia in the south is a region of fjords, glaciers and windy steppes; the Tierra del Fuego shared with Argentina closes the continent towards the pole. The Chilean Andes are home to the Ojos del Salado (6,893m), the world's highest volcano, and are home to one of the continent's most impressive alpine landscapes.
Description
Chile is geographically divided from north to south. The Grande Norte includes the Atacama Desert - with its salt flats, Tatio geysers at 4,200m, colourful volcanoes and plateau fading towards Bolivia and Argentina - and the Atacama Desert proper, between Antofagasta and Copiapó, the driest area on the planet. In this region is Ojos del Salado (6,893m), on the plateau bordering Argentina, the highest volcano in the world and the second highest peak in South America; its last documented activity dates back to recent times (fumaroles), although it is generally classified as dormant. The Norte Chico, between Copiapó and La Serena, is a transition zone between desert and Mediterranean climate. The Central Zone, around Santiago (33° S), has a Mediterranean climate with rainy winters and dry summers; the Andes in this belt offer ski resorts such as Valle Nevado and Portillo, the latter a historic site of world ski speed records. The Southern Lakes area (Los Lagos), around Puerto Montt, is a region of volcanoes, glacial lakes and temperate forests; Volcán Villarrica (2,847m) is one of the most accessible active volcanoes in the world. Chilean Patagonia includes the Torres del Paine, Bernardo O'Higgins and Kawésqar National Parks, with the Norte and Sur continental ice fields - the largest in the Southern Hemisphere outside Antarctica.
The history of pre-Columbian Chile is linked to the Mapuche people in the centre-south - who put up the longest resistance to the Spanish colonisation of the Americas - and the Incas in the north. The Spanish conquest was led by Pedro de Valdivia from 1540; Santiago was founded in 1541. Independence was declared in 1818 with the decisive contribution of JosĂ© de San MartĂn and Bernardo O'Higgins. Chile in the 20th century was marked by the election of Salvador Allende (1970), the first democratically elected socialist president in history, and the military coup of General Augusto Pinochet on 11 September 1973, which established a dictatorship that lasted until 1990. The democratic transition and strong economic growth of the 1990s-2000s turned Chile into the country with the highest per capita income in South America.
Chile's economy is one of the most stable in Latin America. Copper - of which Chile is the world's leading producer, with around 30% of global reserves - is the mainstay of exports; the Chuquicamata mine is the largest open-pit mine on the planet. Chilean wine has conquered international markets with Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Sauvignon Blanc. Industrial fishing and farmed salmon are important components. Traditional cuisine is centred on cazuela (meat broth with vegetables), pastel de choclo (corn flan with meat), curanto (shellfish dish cooked in a pit in the lake district) and pisco sour.
The Chilean protected area system covers about 20% of the territory. The 242,000-hectare Torres del Paine National Park (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1978) is Chile's most visited park and one of the world's most famous trekking destinations: the Torres, three granite towers up to 2,850m high, and the Cuernos del Paine are the icons of the landscape. Trek W (4-5 days) and Circuit O (8-10 days) are structured routes with shelters and campsites. The Parque Nacional Los Glaciares shares the Campo de Hielo Sur with Argentina. Parque Nacional Lauca, on the northern Andean plateau at 4,500m, is home to Lake Chungará at the foot of the Parinacota volcano (6,348m). The fauna includes the puma (Puma concolor), guanaco (Lama guanicoe), condor (Vultur gryphus), vizcacha (Lagidium spp.) and Andean wild boar or suri (Rhea pennata).
Chilean mountaineering focuses mainly on the northern Andes - with the Ojos del Salado and the highland volcanoes - and Patagonia. The Ojos del Salado (6,893m) can be reached without technical difficulties from the normal route in about three weeks of approach and acclimatisation; the final ascent requires crampons and an ice axe. Volcán Villarrica is climbed by hundreds of people every week in summer with a guide; Volcán Osorno (2,652m) and Calbuco are further destinations in the Lakes Region. Chilean Patagonia is home to some of the most difficult walls in the world: Cerro Paine Grande (2,884m), the Torres del Paine towers and the walls of the Cordillera Darwin. The Chilean Transantártica is the southernmost tip of the Andes, with peaks only accessible by sea expeditions.
The Torres del Paine Ultra Trail offers routes from 55 to 150 km in the iconic national park. The Atacama Crossing is a 250 km self-supported seven-day race in the Atacama Desert. The Volcán Villarrica Trail Race is an ascent race on the active volcano. The Patagonia Ultra Tour runs through the parks of the southern region.
.Information
General Data
Capital: Santiago del Chile
Area: 756.102 km²
Minimum elevation: 0m (Pacific coast)
Maximum elevation: 6,893m - Ojos del Salado
Number of inhabitants: 19.458,000 (estimates 2022)
Official name: RepĂşblica de Chile
Name of inhabitants: Chileans
Border countries: Peru - Bolivia - Argentina
Institutional website: https://www.gob.cl