1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south
Coastline
6,435 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Contiguous zone
24 nm
Continental shelf
200 nm
Disputes
short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is indefinite; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine claim
Environment
subject to severe earthquakes, active volcanism, tsunami; Atacama Desert one of world's driest regions; desertification
Exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Land area
748,800 km2; includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Land boundaries
6,171 km; Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km
Land use
arable land 7%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 16%; forest and woodland 21%; other 56%; includes irrigated 2%
Natural resources
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum
Note
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 east
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
756,950 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
21 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
European and European-Indian 95%, Indian 3%, other 2%
Infant mortality rate
17 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
4,728,000; services 38.3% (includes government 12%); industry and commerce 33.8%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 19.2%; mining 2.3%; construction 6.4% (1990)
Languages
Spanish
Life expectancy at birth
71 years male, 77 years female (1992)
Literacy
93% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Chilean(s); adjective - Chilean
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
13% of labor force (1990)
Population
13,528,945 (July 1992), growth rate 1.6% (1992)
Religions
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, and small Jewish population
Total fertility rate
2.5 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
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, Tarapaca, Valparaiso; note - the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Capital
Santiago
Chamber of Deputies
last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or January 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) Concertation of Parties for Democracy 72 (PDC 38, PPD 17, PR 5, other 12), RN 29, UDI 11, right-wing independents 8
Chief of State and Head of Government
President Patricio AYLWIN Azocar (since 11 March 1990)
Communists
The PCCh has legal party status and has less than 60,000 members
Constitution
11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 30 July 1989
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Patricio SILVA Echenique; Chancery at 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone (202) 785-1746; there are Chilean Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco US: Ambassador Curtis KAMMAN; Embassy at Codina Building, 1343 Agustinas, Santiago (mailing address is APO AA 34033); telephone [56] (2) 671-0133; FAX [56] (2) 699-1141
Executive branch
president, Cabinet
Flag
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center; design was based on the US flag
Independence
18 September 1810 (from Spain)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Legal system
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
Legislative branch
bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Long-form name
Republic of Chile
Member of
CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTV, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Other political or pressure groups
revitalized university student federations at all major universities dominated by opposition political groups; labor - United Labor Central (CUT) includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations; Roman Catholic Church
Political parties and leaders
Concertation of Parties for Democracy now consists mainly of five parties - Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle; Party for Democracy (PPD), Erich SCHNAKE; Radical Party (PR), Carlos GONZALEZ Marquez; Social Democratic Party (PSP), Roberto MUNOZ Barros; Socialist Party (PS), Ricardo NUNEZ; National Renovation (RN), Andres ALLAMAND; Independent Democratic Union (UDI), Julio DITTBORN; Center-Center Union (UCC), Francisco Juner ERRAZURIZA; Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), Volodia TEITELBOIM; Movement of Revolutionary Left (MIR) is splintered, no single leader
President
last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or January 1994); results - Patricio AYLWIN (PDC) 55.2%, Hernan BUCHI 29.4%, other 15.4%
Senate
last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993 or January 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (46 total, 38 elected) Concertation of Parties for Democracy 22 (PDC 13, PPD 5, PR 2, PSD 1, PRSD 1), RN 6, UDI 2, independents 8
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for about 9% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); major exporter of fruit, fish, and timber products; major crops - wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, deciduous fruit; livestock products - beef, poultry, wool; self-sufficient in most foods; 1989 fish catch of 6.1 million metric tons; net agricultural importer
Budget
revenues $7.6 billion; expenditures $8.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $772 million (1991 est.)
Currency
Chilean peso (plural - pesos); 1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $521 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $386 million
Electricity
5,502,800 kW capacity; 21,470 million kWh produced, 1,616 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1 - 368.66 (January 1992), 349.37 (1991), 305.06 (1990), 267.16 (1989), 245.05 (1988), 219.54 (1987)
Exports
$8.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: copper 50%, other metals and minerals 7%, wood products 6.5%, fish and fishmeal 9%, fruits 5% (1989) partners: EC 36%, US 18%, Japan 14%, Brazil 6% (1989)
External debt
$16.2 billion (October 1991)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $30.5 billion, per capita $2,300; real growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.)
Imports
$7.4 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: petroleum, wheat, capital goods, spare parts, raw materials partners: EC 20%, US 20%, Japan 11%, Brazil 10% (1989)
Industrial production
growth rate 5.9% (1991 est.); accounts for 36% of GDP
Industries
copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
18.7% (1991)
Overview
The government of President Aylwin, which took power in 1990, has opted to retain the orthodox economic policies of Pinochet, although the share of spending for social welfare has risen slightly. In 1991 growth in GDP recovered to 5.5% (led by consumer spending) after only 2.1% growth in 1990. The tight monetary policy of 1990 helped cut the rate of inflation from 27.3% in 1990 to 18.7% in 1991. Despite a 12% drop in copper prices, the trade surplus rose in 1991, and international reserves increased. Inflationary pressures are not expected to ease much in 1992, and economic growth is likely to approach 7%.
Unemployment rate
6.5% (1991)
Communications
Airports
390 total, 349 usable; 48 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 58 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
29 major transport aircraft
Highways
79,025 km total; 9,913 km paved, 33,140 km gravel, 35,972 km improved and unimproved earth (1984)
Inland waterways
725 km
Merchant marine
33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 468,873 GRT/780,932 DWT; includes 11 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 bulk; note - in addition, 2 naval tanker and 2 military transport are sometimes used commercially
Pipelines
crude oil 755 km; petroleum products 785 km; natural gas 320 km
Ports
Antofagasta, Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Valparaiso, San Antonio, Talcahuano, Arica
Railroads
7,766 km total; 3,974 km 1.676-meter gauge, 150 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 3,642 km 1.000-meter gauge; electrification, 1,865 km 1.676-meter gauge, 80 km 1.000-meter gauge
Telecommunications
modern telephone system based on extensive microwave relay facilities; 768,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 159 AM, no FM, 131 TV, 11 shortwave; satellite ground stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic
Military and Security
Branches
Army of the Nation, National Navy (including Naval Air, Coast Guard, and Marines), Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros of Chile (National Police), Investigative Police
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $1 billion, 3.4% of GDP (1991 est.)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 3,600,654; 2,685,924 fit for military service; 118,480 reach military age (19) annually