chile
SLOGAN: land of adventure
History
The territory of Chile has been populated since at least 12,000 B.C.. By the 16th century, spanish conquistadors began to subdue and colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory became a colony between 1540 and 1818, when it gained independence from spain. The country's economic development was successively marked by the export of first agricultural produce, then saltpeter and later copper. The wealth of raw materials led to an economic upturn, but also led to dependency, and even wars with neighboring states. Chile was governed during most of its first 150 years of independence by different forms of restricted government, where the electorate was carefully vetted and controlled by an elite.
Failure to address the economic and social disparities and increasing political awareness of the less-affluent population, as well as indirect intervention and economic funding to the main political groups by both the KGB and the CIA as part of the cold war, led to a political polarization under Socialist President Salvador Allende. This in turn resulted in the 11 September 1973 coup and the military dictatorship of General August pinochet, whose 17-year regime was responsible for numerous human rights violations and deep market-oriented economic reforms. In 1990, Chile finally made a peaceful transition to democracy.
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#3 tourist attractions
Easter Island Stone Heads
Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui or Isla de Pascua, is a Chilean territory in the southeastern Pacific. On the island are 887 visible stone heads, known as moai. The moai were made by the Rapanui people and are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Easter Island is one of the most isolated places in the world, situated roughly halfway between Chile and Tahiti. LAN Airlines flies from Santiago, Chile to Easter Island, with a flight time of under six hours. Because it is so remote -- and because its economy is built upon tourism -- getting to and staying on Easter Island is expensive.
San Pedro de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama is a small oasis town and of Chile's most popular tourist destinations because of the surrounding landscape. The town is near the Licancabur Volcano and the Atacama Desert - the driest desert in the world. The Atacama covers a 600-mile strip on Chile's Pacific coast, and received very little rain because of the Andes mountains to its East. Trekking and climbing tours can be arranged from San Pedro de Atacama, and there are many tour operators in the town.
Lake District
Chile's Lake District is some 650 miles south of Santiago, the capital city. Located at the base of Chile's Andean mountains, the Lake District scenery includes conical volcanoes, green lakes and verdant forested valleys. Writing in the "International Business Times" in May 2009, Rich Grant indicates that canopy ziplines are an increasingly popular tourist activity in the Lake District. Canopy tours involve traveling between high platforms in the trees via an aerial runway.
#3 major geographical features
and in-case you din't know
Geography of Chile
ContinentSouth America
RegionSouthern Cone
Southern Cone
Coordinates30°00'S 70°00' W
AreaRanked 38th
756,102 km2 (291,933 sq mi)
98.4% land
1.6 % water
Coastline6,435 km (3,999 mi)
BordersTotal land borders:
6,339 km (3,939 mi)
Argentina:
5,308 km (3,298 mi)
Bolivia:
860 km (534 mi)
Peru:
171 km (106 mi)
Highest pointOjos del Salado in Andes of Atacama Region
6,893 m (22,615 ft)
Lowest pointPacific Ocean, 0 m
Longest riverLoa River, 440 km (273 mi)
Largest lakeGeneral Carrera Lake
area and boundaries
Area:
total: 756,102 km2 (291,933 sq mi)
land: 743,812 km2 (287,187 sq mi)
water: 12,290 km2 (4,745 sq mi)
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gómez
This does not include the Chilean claims to Antarctica, which overlaps with the Argentinian and British claims. All Antarctic claims are frozen under theAntarctic treaty.
Area - comparative:
Canada: roughly half the size of Quebec
US: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Land boundaries:
total: 6,339 km (3,939 mi)
border countries: Argentina 5,308 km (3,298 mi), Bolivia 860 km (534 mi), Peru 171 km (106 mi)
Coastline: 6,435 km (3,999 mi)
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nmi (44.4 km; 27.6 mi)
continental shelf: 200–350 nmi (370.4–648.2 km; 230.2–402.8 mi)
exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi)
territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
Extremes[edit]
Main article: List of extreme points of Chile
Latitude and longitude[edit]
- North: tripartite border with Bolivia and Peru
- Southernmost point can be either:
- Mainland: Águila Islet, Diego Ramírez Islands
- Including Antártica: The South Pole
- Westernmost point: Motu Nui, off Easter Island
- Easternmost point can be either:
- Mainland: Nueva Island
- Including Antártica: the 53rd meridian west over Antarctica
Elevation[edit]
- highest point: Ojos del Salado 6,893 m (22,615 ft)
- lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m (0 ft)
Resources and land use[edit]
Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower, thermal power, nutrient-rich ocean currents
Land use:
arable land: 2.62%
permanent crops: 0.43%
other: 96.95% (2005)
Irrigated land: 19,000 km2 (7,336 sq mi) (2000)
Total renewable water resources: 922 km3 (200