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Population: 14,973,843 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 2,137,255; female 2,044,605)
15-64 years: 65% (male 4,845,523; female 4,885,328)
65 years and over: 7% (male 440,010; female 621,122) (1999
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.23% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 17.81 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.53 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999
est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 10.02 deaths/1,000 live births
(1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.46 years
male: 72.33 years
female: 78.75 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean
Ethnic groups: white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian
3%, other 2%
Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish
less than 1%
Languages: Spanish
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.2%
male: 95.4%
female: 95% (1995 est.)
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Chile
conventional short form: Chile
local long form: Republica de Chile
local short form: Chile
Data code: CI
Government type: republic
Capital: Santiago
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
Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981;
amended 30 July 1989
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; does not
accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since
11 March 1994); note—the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since
11 March 1994); note—the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year
term; election last held 11 December 1993 (next to be held NA December
1999)
election results: Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle elected president;
percent of vote—Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (PDC) 58%, Arturo ALESSANDRI
24.4%, other 17.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso
Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (48 seats, 38 elected
by popular vote; 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)
elections: Senate—last held 11 December 1997 (next
to be held NA December 2001); Chamber of Deputies—last held
11 December 1997 (next to be held NA December 2001)
election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA%;
seats by party—CPD (PDC 14, PS 4, PPD 2), UPP 17 (RN 7, UDI
10), Chile 2000 (UCCP) 1, independent 10; Chamber of Deputies—percent
of vote by party—CPD 50.55% (PDC 22.98%, PS 11.10%, PPD 12.55%,
PRSD 3.13%), UPP 36.23% (RN 16.78%, UDI 14.43%); seats by party—CPD
70 (PDC 39, PPD 16, PRSD 4, PS 11), UPP 46 (RN 24, UDI 21, Party
of the South 1), right-wing independents 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (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
Political parties and leaders: Coalition of Parties for
Democracy or CPD consists mainly of: Christian Democratic Party
or PDC [Enrique KRAUSS], Socialist Party or PS [Ricardo NUNEZ],
Party for Democracy or PPD [Sergio BITAR], Radical Social Democratic
Party or PRSD [Anselmo SULE]; Union for the Progress of Chile or
UPP consists mainly of two parties: National Renewal or RN [Alberto
ESPINA] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Pablo LONGUEIRA];
Chile 2000's main party is Progressive Center-Center Union or UCCP
[Francisco Javier ERRAZURIZ]
Political pressure groups and leaders: revitalized university
student federations at all major universities; United Labor Central
or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest
labor confederations; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation: APEC, CCC, ECLAC,
FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH,
UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Genaro Luis ARRIAGADA Herrera
chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1746
FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John O'LEARY
embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Santiago
mailing address: APO AA 34033
telephone: [56] (2) 232-2600
FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710
Flag description: 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
Economy—overview: Chile has a prosperous, essentially
free market economy. Civilian governments—which took over from
the military in March 1990—have continued to reduce the government's
role in the economy while shifting the emphasis of public spending
toward social programs. Growth in real GDP averaged more than 7.0%
in 1991-1997 but fell to about half of that average in 1998 because
of spillover from the global financial crisis. Inflation has been
on a downward trend and hit a 60-year low in 1998. Chile's currency
and foreign reserves also are strong, as sustained foreign capital
inflows—including significant direct investment—have more
than offset current account deficits and public debt buy-backs.
President FREI, who took office in March 1994, has placed improving
Chile's education system and developing foreign export markets at
the top of his economic agenda. The Chilean economy remains largely
dependent on a few sectors—particularly copper mining, fishing,
and forestry. Success in meeting the government's goal of sustained
annual economic growth of 5% depends largely on world prices for
these commodities, continued foreign investor confidence, and the
government's ability to maintain a conservative fiscal stance. In
1996, Chile became an associate member of Mercosur and concluded
a free trade agreement with Canada.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$184.6 billion (1998
est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$12,500
(1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 33%
services: 61% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 20.5% (1994 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 46.1% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1998)
Labor force: 5.8 million (1998 est.)
Labor force—by occupation: services 38.3% (includes
government 12%), industry and commerce 33.8%, agriculture, forestry,
and fishing 19.2%, mining 2.3%, construction 6.4% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 6.4% (1998)
Budget:
revenues: $17 billion
expenditures: $17 billion, including capital expenditures
of $NA (1996 est.)
Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing,
iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement,
textiles
Industrial production growth rate: -1.1% (1998)
Electricity—production: 35.81 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 41.89%
hydro: 58.11%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 35.81 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: wheat, corn, grapes, beans,
sugar beets, potatoes, fruit; beef, poultry, wool; timber; fish
Exports: $14.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports—commodities: copper 37%, other metals and
minerals 8.2%, wood products 7.1%, fish and fishmeal 9.8%, fruits
8.4% (1994)
Exports—partners: EU 25%, US 15%, Asia 34%, Latin
America 20% (1995 est.)
Imports: $17.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports—commodities: capital goods 25.2%, spare parts
24.8%, raw materials 15.4%, petroleum 10%, foodstuffs 5.7% (1994)
Imports—partners: EU 18%, US 25%, Asia 16%, Latin
America 26% (1995 est.)
Debt—external: $31.5 billion (1998)
Economic aid—recipient: ODA, $50.3 million (1996
est.)
Currency: 1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1—475.68
(January 1999), 460.29 (1998), 419.30 (1997), 412.27 (1996), 396.78
(1995), 420.08 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Telephones: 1.5 million (1994 est.)
Telephone system: modern system based on extensive microwave
radio relay facilities
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic
satellite system with 3 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations—2 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 180 (eight inactive), FM
64, shortwave 17 (one inactive) (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 63 (in addition, there
are 121 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 2.85 million (1992 est.)
Railways:
total: 6,782 km
broad gauge: 3,743 km 1.676-m gauge (1,653 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 116 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,923 km 1.000-m gauge
(40 km electrified) (1995)
Highways:
total: 79,800 km
paved: 11,012 km
unpaved: 68,788 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 725 km
Pipelines: crude oil 755 km; petroleum products 785 km;
natural gas 320 km
Ports and harbors: Antofagasta, Arica, Chanaral, Coquimbo,
Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, San Antonio, San Vicente, Talcahuano,
Valparaiso
Merchant marine:
total: 42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 527,201 GRT/787,719
DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, container
2, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 4, passenger 3, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 4, vehicle carrier 2 (1998 est.)
Airports: 378 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 58
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 9 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 320
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 73
under 914 m: 229 (1998 est.)
Military branches: Army of the Nation, National Navy (includes
Naval Air, Coast Guard, and Marines), Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros
of Chile (National Police), Investigations Police
Military manpower—military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 3,968,176 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,943,206 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 132,202 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $2.12 billion
(1998); note—includes earnings from CODELCO Company and costs
of pensions; does not include funding for the National Police (Carabineros)
and Investigations Police
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2.79% (1998)
Disputes—international: short section of the southwestern
boundary with Argentina is indefinite—process to resolve boundary
issues is underway; 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 and British claims
Illicit drugs: a growing transshipment country for cocaine
destined for the US and Europe; economic prosperity has made Chile
more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits;
imported precursors pass on to Bolivia
Source: 1999 CIA World Factbook
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