World Countries Info > Chile > Santiago, Vina Del Mar
A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial
military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected
president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, first implemented by
the PINOCHET dictatorship, led to unprecedented growth in 1991-97 and have
helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative
government.
Geography of Chile
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Location:
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Southern South America,
bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru |
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Geographic coordinates:
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30 00 S, 71 00 W |
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Area:
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total: 756,950 sq km
land: 748,800 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y
Gomez
water: 8,150 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than twice
the size of Montana |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 6,171 km
border countries: Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km |
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Coastline:
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6,435 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 24
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200/350 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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temperate; desert in north;
Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south |
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Terrain:
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low coastal mountains;
fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m |
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Natural resources:
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copper, timber, iron ore,
nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.65%
permanent crops: 0.42%
other: 96.93% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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18,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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severe earthquakes; active
volcanism; tsunamis |
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear
Test Ban |
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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
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More Geography
Population of Chile
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Population:
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15,823,957 (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 25.8% (male 2,090,165;
female 1,996,972)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 5,235,061; female 5,261,820)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 515,698; female 724,241) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 29.8 years
male: 28.9 years
female: 30.7 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.01% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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15.77 births/1,000 |
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Death rate:
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5.71 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 9.05 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 76.38 years
male: 73.09 years
female: 79.82 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.06 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.3% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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20,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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220 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean |
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Ethnic groups:
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white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian
3%, other 2% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish
NEGL% |
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Languages:
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Spanish |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 96.2%
male: 96.4%
female: 96.1% (2003 est.)
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Government
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of
Chile
conventional short form: Chile
local long form: Republica de Chile
local short form: Chile |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Santiago |
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Administrative divisions:
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13 regions (regiones, singular - region);
Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio,
Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica
Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica |
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Independence:
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18 September 1810 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 18 September (1810) |
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Constitution:
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11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981,
amended 30 July 1989, 1993, and 1997 |
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Legal system:
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based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish
law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
note: Chile is in the process of completely overhauling its criminal justice
system; a new, US-style adversarial system is being gradually implemented throughout the
country with the final stage of implementation in the Santiago metropolitan region
expected in June 2005 |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Ricardo
LAGOS Escobar (since 11 March 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Ricardo LAGOS Escobar (since 11 March 2000); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
election results: Ricardo LAGOS Escobar elected president; percent of vote -
Ricardo LAGOS Escobar 51.32%, Joaquin LAVIN 48.68%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last
held 12 December 1999, with runoff election held 16 January 2000 (next to be held NA
December 2005) |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral National Congress or Congreso
Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (48 seats, 38 elected by popular vote, 9
designated members, and 1 former president who has served a full six-year term and is
senator for life); elected members serve eight-year terms (one-half elected every four
years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CPD 20
(PDC 12, PS 5, PPD 3), APC 16 (UDI 9, RN 7), independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CPD 62 (PDC 24, PPD 21, PS 11, PRSD 6), UDI 35,
RN 22, independent 1
elections: Senate - last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2005);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2005) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are
appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by
the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected by the 21-member court);
Constitutional Tribunal |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Alliance for Chile ("Alianza") or
APC - including RN and UDI; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Adolfo ZALDIVAR]; Coalition
of Parties for Democracy ("Concertacion") or CPD - including PDC, PS, PPD, PRSD;
Communist Party or PC [Gladys MARIN]; Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Pablo
LONGUEIRA]; National Renewal or RN [Sebastian PINERA]; Party for Democracy or PPD [Victor
BARRUETO]; Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Orlando CANTUARIAS]; Socialist Party
or PS [Gonzalo MARTNER] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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revitalized university student federations
at all major universities; Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT includes
trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations |
Economy
Chile has a 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 1991-97, 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
global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999, reducing
crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile
experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite
the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial
institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in
South America. By the end of 1999, exports and economic activity had begun to recover,
and growth rebounded to 4.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.1% in 2001 and 2.1% in 2002,
largely due to lackluster global growth and the devaluation of the Argentine peso, but
recovered to 3.2% in 2003. Unemployment, although declining over the past year, remains
stubbornly high, putting pressure on President LAGOS to improve living standards. One
bright spot was the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on
1 January 2004. In 2004, GDP growth is set to accelerate to more than 4% as copper
prices rise, export earnings grow, and foreign direct investment picks up.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $154.6 billion
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.2% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $9,900 (2003
est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 6.4%
industry: 38.8%
services: 54.8% (2003 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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20.6% (2000 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 41% (2000) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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56.7 (2000) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.1% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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5.68 million (2000 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 13.6%, industry 23.4%, services
63% (2003 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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8.5% (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $14.7 billion
expenditures: $15.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 est.) |
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Industries:
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copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish
processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles,
tourism |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3.5% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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41.66 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 47%
hydro: 51.5%
other: 1.4% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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40.13 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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1.386 billion kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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13,640 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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241,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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81.05 million bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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1.2 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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6.47 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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5.27 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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67.78 billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
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grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn,
oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans, beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber |
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Exports:
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$20.44 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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copper, fish, fruits, paper and pulp,
chemicals, wine |
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Exports - partners:
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US 19.1%, Japan 10.5%, China 6.7%, Mexico
5%, Italy 4.7%, UK 4.4% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$17.4 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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consumer goods, chemicals, motor vehicles,
fuels, electrical machinery, heavy industrial machinery, food |
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Imports - partners:
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Argentina 18%, US 14.9%, Brazil 9.5%, China
6.5%, Germany 4.3% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$42.5 billion (2003) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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ODA, $40 million (2001 est.) |
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Currency:
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Chilean peso (CLP) |
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Currency code:
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CLP |
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Exchange rates:
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Chilean pesos per US dollar - 691.43
(2003), 688.94 (2002), 634.94 (2001), 535.47 (2000), 508.78 (1999) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
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