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Chile. Ballpoint Pens, Rollerball Pens,Cartridges, Fountain Pens.
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England Description Chile
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Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while the indigenous Mapuche inhabited central and southern Chile. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the 1880s that the Mapuche Indians were completely subjugated. After a series of elected governments, a three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.
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Location
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Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
WebCam
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Geographic Coordinates
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30 00 S, 71 00 W
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Area - comparative
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slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
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Coast line
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6,435 km
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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 Chile
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low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
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Natural Resources Chile
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copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower
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Irrigated land
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19,000 sq km (2003)
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Total Renewable Water Resources
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922 cu km (2000)
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Natural Hazards
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severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
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Environment Currentissues
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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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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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Population Chile
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16,746,491 (July 2010 est.)
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Population growth rate
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0.856% (2010 est.)
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Birth Rate
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14.46 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Death Rate
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5.9 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Netmigration Rate
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NA
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Total Fertility Rate
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1.9 children born/woman (2010 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate
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0.3% (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids
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31,000 (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Deaths
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white and white-Amerindian 95.4%, Mapuche 4%, other indigenous groups 0.6% (2002 census)
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Religions
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Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census)
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Languages
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Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English
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Education Expenditures
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3.2% of GDP (2006)
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Government Type
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republic
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Administrative Divisions
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15 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Arica y Parinacota, Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Los Rios, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso
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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 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005
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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 - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a US-style adversarial system
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Suffrage
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18 years of age; universal and compulsory
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Legislative Branch
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bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats; members elected by popular vote to 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)
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Political Partie Sand Leaders
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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 every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal (eight-members - two each from the Senate, Chamber of Deputies, Supreme Court, and National Security Council - review the constitutionality of laws approved by Congress)
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Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders
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Roman Catholic Church, particularly conservative groups such as Opus Dei; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations
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International Organization Participation
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APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CD, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OECD (accession state), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Flag Description
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two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; 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 representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red represents the blood spilled to achieve independence
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Economy Overview
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Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade and a reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. Exports account for more than one-fourth of GDP, with commodities making up some three-quarters of total exports. Copper alone provides one-third of government revenue. 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 situation 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. In the years since then, growth has averaged 4% per year. Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile claims to have more bilateral or regional trade agreements than any other country. It has 57 such agreements (not all of them full free trade agreements), including with the European Union, Mercosur, China, India, South Korea, and Mexico. Over the past five years, foreign direct investment inflows have quadrupled to some $17 billion in 2008, but FDI dropped to about $7 billion in 2009 in the face of diminished investment throughout the world. The Chilean government conducts a rule-based countercyclical fiscal policy, accumulating surpluses in sovereign wealth funds during periods of high copper prices and economic growth, and allowing deficit spending only during periods of low copper prices and growth. As of September 2008, those sovereign wealth funds - kept mostly outside the country and separate from Central Bank reserves - amounted to more than $20 billion. Chile used $4 billion from this fund to finance a fiscal stimulus package to fend off recession. The economy was starting to show signs of a rebound in the fourth quarter, 2009, although GDP still fell more than 1% for the year. In December 2009, the OECD invited Chile to become a full member, after a two year period of compliance with organization mandates. The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile in February 2010 was one of the top ten strongest earthquakes on record. It caused considerable damage near the epicenter, located about 70 miles from Concepcion - and about 200 miles southwest of Santiago.
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
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$243.7 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP (Official Exchange Rate)
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$152.1 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP Real Growth Rate
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-1.7% (2009 est.)
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GDP Per Capita (PPP)
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$14,700 (2009 est.)
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Labor Force
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7.42 million (2009 est.)
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Unemployment Rate
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10% (2009 est.)
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Population Below Poverty Line
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18.2% (2005)
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Distribution Of Family Income
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54.9 (2003)
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Unvestment Gross Fixed
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20.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Inflation Rrate
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9% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Central Bank Discount Rate
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1.7% (2009 est.)
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Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
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8.25% (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Money
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13.26% (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Quasi Money
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$14.72 billion (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Domestic Credit
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$73.66 billion (31 December 2008)
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Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
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$116.4 billion (31 December 2008)
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Agriculture - Products
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$132.4 billion (31 December 2008)
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Industries
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grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber
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Industrial Production Growth Rate
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copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles
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Electricity Production
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-3% (2009 est.)
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Electricity Consumption
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60.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Exports
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57.29 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Imports
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil Production
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1.628 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil Consumption
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11,190 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Exports
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277,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Imports
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49,250 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Proved Reserves
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311,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Natural Gas Production
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150 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Consumption
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1.65 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Exports
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2.34 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Imports
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Proved Reserves
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690 million cu m (2008 est.)
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Current Account Balance
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97.97 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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Exports
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-$50 million (2009 est.)
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Exports Commodities
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$48.85 billion (2009 est.)
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Exports Partners
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copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine
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Imports
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China 14.1%, US 11.3%, Japan 10.4%, Brazil 5.9%, South Korea 5.7%, Netherlands 5.2%, Italy 4.4% (2008)
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Imports Commodities
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$40.91 billion (2009 est.)
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Imports Partners
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petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas
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Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold
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US 19.1%, China 11.9%, Brazil 9.2%, Argentina 8.8%, South Korea 5.5%, Japan 4.6% (2008)
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Debt - External
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$25.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
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Radio Broadcast Stations
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$115 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
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Television Broadcast Stations
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$32.07 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
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Internet Country Code
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Chilean pesos (CLP) per US dollar - 569.37 (2009), 509.02 (2008), 526.25 (2007), 530.29 (2006), 560.09 (2005)
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Airports
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AM 180, FM 64, shortwave 17 (1998)
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Military Service Age and Obligation
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357 (2009)
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