1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

short section with Argentina is indefinite; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to Pacific Ocean since _ Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory)

Climate

temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south

Coastline

6,485 km

Comparative area

larger than Texas

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Continental shelf

200 nm

Environment

subject to severe earthquakes, active volcanism, tsunami; Atacama Desert one of world’s driest regions; desertification

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Land boundaries

6,325 km total

Land use

7% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 16% meadows and pastures; 21% forest and woodland; 56% other; includes 2% irrigated

Special notes

strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)

Terrain

low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in west

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

1000 km South Pacific Ocean Easter and Sala y Gomez islands are not shown, a Punta Arenasg¢ Boundary representation is

756,950 km?; land area: 748,800 km?

Ethnic divisions

95% European and European-Indian, 3% Indian, 2% other

Infant mortality rate

20/1,000 (1984)

Labor force

3.84 million; 38.6% services (including government—12%), 31.3% industry and commerce; 15.9% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 8.7% mining; 4.4% construction (1985); unemployed 13.9% (1984)

Language

Spanish

Life expectancy

men 63.8, women 70.4

Literacy

94%

Nationality

noun—Chilean(s); adjective— Chilean

Organized labor

12% of labor force organized into labor unions (1982)

Population

12,448,008 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 1.54%

Religion

89% Roman Catholic, 11% Protestant, and small Jewish population

Administrative divisions

12 regions plus Santiago metropolitan region, 41 provincial subdivisions

Branches

four-man Military Junta, which exercises constituent and legislative powers and has delegated executive powers to President; the President has announced a plan for transition from military to civilian rule pursuant to Constitution; state of siege lifted January 1986; National Congress (Senate, House of Representatives) dissolved; civilian judiciary remains

Capital

Santiago

Communists

120,000 when PCCh was legal in 1978; active militants now estimated at about 20,000-50,000

Elections

none; voters are being registered for constitutionally mandated presidential plebiscite in 1989 and congressional election in 1990 Political parties and Jeaders: all political parties are officially recessed or outlawed but have been allowed to function on a very limited basis since 1982 (a law allowing political parties to renew restricted activities has been approved by the Junta and is slated for enactment in March 1987); National Renovation (RN), Ricardo Rivadeneira; Radical Party (PR), Enrique Silva Cimma; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Rene Abeliuk; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Gabriel Valdés; Republican Right, Hugo Zepeda; Socialist Party, Ricardo Nujfiez; the PR, PSD, PDC, Republican Right, and one faction of the Socialist Party form the Democratic Alliance (AD); Movement of Unitary Popular Action (MAPU); Movement of Unitary Popular Action—Workers/Peasants (MAPU-OC), Oscar Garreton Purcell (in exile); Christian Left (IC), Luis Maira; Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), Luis Corvalan Leppe (in exile); Socialist Party—Almeyda faction (PSCh/Alm), Clodomiro Almeyda (in exile); Socialist Party—Altamirano faction (PSCh/Alt), Carlos Altamirano (in exile); Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Andrés Pascal Allende (in exile); the MIR, PSCh/Alm, and PCCh form the leftist Popular Democratic Movement (MDP)

Government leaders

Gen. Angusto PINOCHET Ugarte, President (since September 1973); Adm. José Toribio MERINO Castro (since September 1978), Air Force Gen. Fernando MATTHEI Aubel (since July 1978), Army Lt. Gen. Humberto GORDON Rubio (since December 1986), Gen. Rodolfo STANGE Oecklers (since August 1985), Junta members

Legal system

based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; current constitution came into effect in March 1981; the constitution provides for continued direct rule unti] 1989, with a phased return to full civilian rule by 1997; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Member of

CIPEC, ECOSOC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, 1DB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, LAIA, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 18 September

Official name

Republic of Chile

Other political or pressure groups

revitalized university student federations at all major universities dominated by political groups; labor—National Workers Command (CNT) includes trade unionists from the country’s five largest labor confederations; Roman Catholic Church

Type

republic

Voting strength

(1970 presidential election) 36.6% Popular Unity coalition, 35.8% conservative independent, 28.1% Christian Democrat; (1973 congressional election) 56% Democratic Confederation (PDC and Chile (continued) PN), 44% Popular Unity coalition (socialists and Communists)

Agriculture

main crops—wheat, potatoes, corn, sugar beets, onions, beans, fruits; net agricultural importer

Budget

revenues, $4.6 billion; expenditures, $5.1 billion (1985)

Crude steel

765,000 metric tons capacity (1980), 684,000 metric tons produced (1985), 55 ke per capita

Electric power

3,315,000 kW capacity; 13,950 million kWh produced, 1,100 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$3.7 billion (f.0.b., 1985); copper, molybdenum, iron ore, paper products, steel products, fishmeal, fruits, wood products

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 4 million metric tons (1983); exports $275.5 million (1984)

Imports

$3.0 billion (f.0.b., 1985); petroleum, sugar, wheat, capital goods, vehicles

Major industries

copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, pulp, paper, and forestry products

Major trade partners

exports—26% US, 11% Japan, 10% FRG, 6.2% Brazil, 5.4% UK (1984); imports—21.5% US, 9% Japan, 8.5% Brazil, 7.2% Venezuela, 6.2% FRG (1983)

Monetary conversion rate

202 pesos=US$1 (December 1986)

Natural resources

copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum

Airfields

893 total, 856 usable; 47 with permanent-surface runways; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 52 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

22 major transport aircraft

Highways

79,065 km total; 9,865 km paved, 37,700 km gravel, 32,000 km improved and unimproved earth

Inland waterways

725 km

Pipelines

crude oil, 755 km; refined products, 785 km; natural gas, 320 km

Ports

10 major, 13 minor

Railroads

8,613 km total; 4,257 km 1.676meter gauge, 185 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 4,221 km 1.000-meter gauge; electrification, 1,578 km 1.676-meter gauge, 76 km 1.000-meter gauge

Telecommunications

modern telephone system based on extensive radio-relay facilities; 629,000 telephones (5.4 per 100 popl.); 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite antennas; 8 domestic satellite stations; 154 AM, 119 TV, 14 shortwave stations

Branches

Army of the Nation, National Navy, Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros of Chile

Military manpower

males 15-49, 8,321,000; 2,490,000 fit for military service; 117,000 reach military age (19) annually