Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a South American country known for its unique geography: a long, narrow strip of land nestled between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, making it the southernmost country in the world. With a population of 17.5 million and a territorial area of 756,102 square kilometers, Chile shares borders with Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. It also controls several Pacific islands like Easter Island. Santiago is its capital and largest city, and Spanish is the national language.
A significant 7.4 magnitude earthquake near Ushuaia, Argentina, prompted Chile to issue a tsunami warning. The quake triggered alerts across parts of South America, causing concern and prompting precautionary measures for coastal regions.
In 1902, Chile's current borders with Argentina were finalized through British arbitration.
In 1904, Chile and Bolivia signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship which clarified the border between both countries.
In 1924, a military coup led by General Luis Altamirano set off a period of political instability in Chile.
In 1925, General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo briefly ruled as de facto dictator.
In 1925, a new Constitution established the separation of church and state.
Between 1927 and 1931, General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ruled as de facto dictator again.
Between 1927 and 1931, General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo ruled as de facto dictator.
In 1932, constitutional rule was restored, and the Radical Party emerged as a key force in coalition governments.
In 1932, the period of political instability that started in 1924 came to an end.
In 1937, Anita Lizana won the US Open, becoming the first woman from Latin America to win a Grand Slam tournament.
On 26 June 1945, Chile participated as a founding member of the United Nations, being among 50 countries that signed the United Nations Charter in San Francisco, California.
Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945.
In 1950, Chile earned a bronze medal in the first men's FIBA World Championship.
In 1952, voters returned Ibáñez del Campo to office for another six years.
In 1953, Chile hosted the first FIBA World Championship for Women, finishing the tournament with the silver medal.
In 1958, Jorge Alessandri succeeded Ibáñez del Campo, bringing Chilean conservatism back into power democratically.
In 1959, Chile hosted the FIBA World Championship where the national team won a second bronze medal.
In 1962, Chile hosted the FIFA World Cup where the national football team finished third.
In 1964, Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Montalva's presidential election initiated a period of major reform.
By 1967, Eduardo Frei encountered increasing opposition from leftists and conservatives regarding his reforms.
In the 1970 election, Senator Salvador Allende of the Socialist Party of Chile achieved a partial majority in a plurality of votes.
Upon Allende's election in 1970, Henry Kissinger stated "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go Communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people".
In 1971, Pablo Neruda received the Nobel Prize for Literature.
In 1972, Chile faced an economic depression exacerbated by capital flight and plummeting private investment, leading Allende to adopt measures such as price freezes, wage increases, and tax reforms.
In 1972, the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was established.
On May 26, 1973, Chile's Supreme Court unanimously denounced Allende's disruption of the legality of the nation.
After the military coup in September 1973, the Chilean national police (Carabineros) were incorporated into the Defense Ministry.
On September 11, 1973, a military coup overthrew Salvador Allende, who apparently committed suicide.
In October 1973, at least 72 people were murdered by the Caravan of Death during the Pinochet regime.
In 1973, the Chilean coup d'état occurred, overthrowing Salvador Allende's democratically elected left-wing government.
With the military coup of 1973, Chile became isolated politically as a result of widespread human rights abuses.
In 1978 Chile was administratively divided into regions.
In 1979 Chile was subdivided into provinces and these into communes.
In 1979, the National Health Fund (Fonasa) was created as the financial entity entrusted to collect, manage and distribute state funds for health in Chile.
On September 11, 1980, a new Constitution was approved by a controversial plebiscite, and General Pinochet became president of the republic for an eight-year term.
In 1980, Chile ratified the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972.
In 1980, the Chilean Constitution was made with the consultancy of the Ortúzar Commission.
In 1980, the current Constitution of Chile was drafted by Jaime Guzmán and subsequently approved via a national plebiscite under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
In March 1981, the Constitution of Chile drafted by Jaime Guzmán in 1980 entered into force under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
In the late 1980s, largely as a result of events such as the 1982 economic collapse, the government gradually permitted greater freedom of assembly, speech, and association.
In the late 1980s, largely as a result of events such as mass civil resistance in 1983–88, the government gradually permitted greater freedom of assembly, speech, and association.
In 1984, a study determined Chile's ancestry composition to be 67.9% European and 32.1% Native American.
In 1987, the percentage of Chileans with per capita household incomes below the poverty line was 45.1%.
On October 5, 1988, Pinochet was denied a second eight-year term as president in a plebiscite.
After Pinochet's defeat in the 1988 plebiscite, the constitution was amended to ease provisions for future amendments to the Constitution.
In 1988, a referendum denied Pinochet a second eight-year term as president.
Privatization of the telephone system in Chile began in 1988.
On December 14, 1989, Chileans elected a new president and the majority of members of a bicameral congress.
For parliamentary elections, between 1989 and 2013 the binominal system was used, which promoted the establishment of two majority political blocs -Concertación and Alliance- at the expense of the exclusion of non-majority political groups.
In 1989, the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention was adopted as the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 169.
Chile's rate of population growth has been decreasing since 1990, due to a declining birth rate.
In 1990, the right-wing military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet ended, following a referendum in 1988, and was succeeded by a center-left coalition.
President Aylwin served from 1990 to 1994, in what was considered a transition period.
Since its return to democracy in 1990, Chile has been an active participant in the international political arena.
According to the 2002 national census, Chile's foreign-born population had increased by 75% since 1992.
In December 1993, Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle led the Concertación coalition to victory with an absolute majority of votes.
In 1994, a biological study determined that the Chilean composition was 64% European and 35% Amerindian.
President Aylwin served from 1990 to 1994, in what was considered a transition period.
Although the amount of available information is still very small, a first effort has been made to estimate the number of fungal species endemic to Chile, and 1995 species have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the country.
In 1995, Rapa Nui National Park became a World Heritage Site.
In 1998, Marcelo Ríos became the first Latin American man to reach the number one spot in the ATP singles rankings.
Chile began to experience a moderate economic downturn in 1999.
In 1999, Cultural Heritage Day was established as a way to honour and commemorate Chile's cultural heritage. It is an official national event celebrated in May every year.
In 1999, a law on religion prohibits religious discrimination.
In 2000, Socialist Ricardo Lagos won the presidency in an unprecedented runoff election.
In 2000, the Churches of Chiloé became a World Heritage Site.
The national football team won a bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
A 2002 national poll revealed that a majority of Chileans believed they possessed some (43.4%) or much (8.3%) "indigenous blood", while 40.3% responded that they had none.
According to the 2002 census, the largest agglomerations were Greater Santiago with 5.6 million people, Greater Concepción with 861,000 and Greater Valparaíso with 824,000.
According to the 2002 national census, Chile's foreign-born population had increased by 75% since 1992.
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, as of the year 2002, only 22% of Chileans were white and 72% were mestizo.
As of 2012, 66.6% of the Chilean population over 15 years of age claimed to adhere to the Roman Catholic church, a decrease from the 70% reported in the 2002 census.
Chile hosted the Defense Ministerial of the Americas in 2002.
In 2003, Chile signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, which would later be implemented in January 2004.
In 2003, Chile's national tennis team won the World Team Cup clay tournament.
In 2003, the historical district of the port city of Valparaíso became a World Heritage Site.
The economy remained sluggish until 2003, when it began to show clear signs of recovery, achieving 4.0% GDP growth.
In January 2004, Chile implemented a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. Internal Government of Chile figures show that even when factoring out inflation and the recent high price of copper, bilateral trade between the U.S. and Chile has grown over 60% since then.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Chile captured gold and bronze in men's singles and gold in men's doubles (Nicolás Massú obtained two gold medals).
Between 2004 and 2006, the Santiago urban highways network was opened.
Chile hosted the APEC summit and related meetings in 2004.
In 2004, Chile's national tennis team won the World Team Cup clay tournament.
The Chilean economy finished 2004 with growth of 6%.
In January 2005, Chile completed a two-year non-permanent position on the UN Security Council.
Chile hosted the Community of Democracies ministerial in April 2005.
In May 2005, Jose Miguel Insulza, a Chilean national, was elected Secretary General of the Organization of American States.
In June 2005, Chile completed a nationwide overhaul of its criminal justice system. The reform has replaced inquisitorial proceedings with an adversarial system.
In September 2005, President Ricardo Lagos signed into law several constitutional amendments passed by Congress. These include eliminating the positions of appointed senators and senators for life, granting the President authority to remove the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces, and reducing the presidential term from six to four years.
In November 2005, the Chilean government launched a campaign under the brand "Chile: All Ways Surprising" intended to promote the country internationally for both business and tourism.
In 2005, Chile's exports to Asia increased from US$15.2 billion.
In 2005, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works became a World Heritage Site.
In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI canonized Alberto Hurtado, who became the country's second native Roman Catholic saint after Teresa de los Andes.
In 2005, tourism in Chile grew by 13.6%, generating more than 4.5 billion dollars of which 1.5 billion was attributed to foreign tourists.
Real GDP growth reached 5.7% in 2005.
In January 2006, Chileans elected their first female president, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, of the Socialist Party.
Between 2004 and 2006, the Santiago urban highways network was opened.
Between 2006 and 2017, Chile's gold production varied. Starting in 2006, Chile produced annual amounts ranging from 35.9 tonnes in 2017 to 51.3 tonnes in 2013.
In 2006, Chile became the country with the highest nominal GDP per capita in Latin America.
In 2006, the Government of Chile continued to pay down its foreign debt, with public debt only 3.9% of GDP at the end of 2006.
In 2006, the mining city Sewell became a World Heritage Site.
Real GDP growth fell back to 4% in 2006.
In March 2007 the Air Force took delivery of the final two of ten F-16s, all purchased from the U.S., after several decades of U.S. debate and previous refusal to sell. Chile also took delivery in 2007 of a number of reconditioned Block 15 F-16s from the Netherlands, bringing to 18 the total of F-16s purchased from the Dutch.
Chile hosted the Ibero-American Summit in November 2007.
As of 2007, agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for only 4.9% of Chile's GDP and employed 13.6% of the country's labor force.
GDP expanded by 5% in 2007.
The creation of two new regions in 2007, Arica and Parinacota (XV) and Los Ríos (XIV), and a third region in 2018, Ñuble (XVI) made this numbering lose its original order meaning.
Chile is currently serving on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors, and the 2007–2008 chair of the board is Chile's ambassador to the IAEA, Milenko E. Skoknic.
Chile ratified the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, also known as the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 169, in 2008.
Faced with the 2008 financial crisis, the government announced an economic stimulus plan to spur employment and growth.
Fernando González won a silver medal in singles at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
A Chilean court decision in November 2009, considered to be a landmark ruling on indigenous rights, made use of the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989.
Despite the Great Recession, the government aimed for an expansion of between 2% and 3% of GDP for 2009.
In May 2005, Jose Miguel Insulza, a Chilean national, was elected Secretary General of the Organization of American States and confirmed in his position, being re-elected in 2009.
Since 2009, Chile has collaborated with the United States Department of Energy to encourage the use of renewable energy in the forms of wind and solar energy.
Since 2009, the Dakar Rally off-road automobile race has been held in both Chile and Argentina.
The percentage of Chileans with per capita household incomes below the poverty line—defined as twice the cost of satisfying a person's minimal nutritional needs—fell from 45.1% in 1987 to 11.5% in 2009, according to government surveys.
In January 2010, Chileans elected Sebastián Piñera as the first rightist President in 20 years.
On February 27, 2010, Chile was struck by an 8.8 Mw earthquake, followed by a tsunami, resulting in more than 500 deaths and over a million people losing their homes.
In May 2010 Chile became the first South American country to join the OECD.
On 5 August 2010, the access tunnel collapsed at the San José copper and gold mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó in northern Chile, trapping 33 men 700 meters below ground.
On 13 October 2010, all 33 miners trapped in the San José mine were rescued over a period of almost 24 hours. The rescue was broadcasted live around the world.
In 2010, the center-left coalition that had ruled Chile since 1990 was replaced.
Chile was re-elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 for a three-year term.
In 2011, Chile recognized an additional 9,800 victims of the Pinochet regime, bringing the total number killed, tortured, or imprisoned for political reasons to 40,018.
In 2011, Universidad de Chile was the last international champion after winning the Copa Sudamericana.
In 2011, the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (Santiago) had a traffic of 12,105,524 passengers.
The 2011 Latinobarómetro survey asked respondents in Chile what race they considered themselves to belong to. Most answered "White" (59%), while 25% said "Mestizo" and 8% self-classified as "indigenous".
As of November 2012, about 11.1 million people (64% of the population) benefit from government welfare programs, via the "Social Protection Card", which includes the population living in poverty and those at a risk of falling into poverty.
According to a 2012 database of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 61.42% of the Chilean population uses the internet, making Chile the country with the highest internet penetration in South America.
As of 2012, 66.6% of the Chilean population over 15 years of age claimed to adhere to the Roman Catholic church, a decrease from the 70% reported in the 2002 census. In the same census of 2012, 17% of Chileans reported adherence to an Evangelical church.
In 2012, Chile had 3.276 million main telephone lines in use and 24.13 million mobile cellular telephone subscribers.
In 2012, Chile won its first Paralympic Games medal (gold in Athletics).
In 2012, the Chilean central government was a net creditor with a net asset position of 7% of GDP at end 2012, with 14% of central government revenue coming directly from copper.
Real GDP growth in 2012 was 5.5%.
Since July 2013, Chile is considered by the World Bank as a "high-income economy".
Chile was also elected to one of five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council in 2013.
Due to term limits, Sebastián Piñera did not stand for re-election in 2013.
For parliamentary elections, between 1989 and 2013 the binominal system was used, which promoted the establishment of two majority political blocs -Concertación and Alliance- at the expense of the exclusion of non-majority political groups.
Growth slowed to 4.1% in the first quarter of 2013.
In 2013, Chile produced 51.3 tonnes of gold.
In the first quarter of 2013, Chile's current account deficit was 4%, financed mostly by foreign direct investment.
In March 2014, Michelle Bachelet returned to office after Sebastián Piñera's term expired.
In 2014, Chile's electricity consumption was 68.90 TWh. Main sources of electricity in Chile are hydroelectricity, gas, oil and coal.
In 2015, Chile's gold production was 43 metric tonnes.
In 2015, another study established Chile's genetic composition as 57% European, 38% Native American, and 2.5% African.
In 2015, the major religion in Chile remained Christianity (68%), with an estimated 55% of Chileans belonging to the Roman Catholic church, 13% to various Evangelical churches, and just 7% adhering to any other religion. Agnostics and atheists were estimated at 25% of the population.
In 2015, the national football team won a Copa América title.
The opponents of the binominal system approved in 2015 a moderate proportional electoral system that has been in force since the 2017 parliamentary elections, allowing the entry of new parties and coalitions.
In 2016, the Baháʼí mother temple, or continental House of Worship, for Latin America was completed, serving as a space for people of all religions and backgrounds to gather, meditate, reflect, and worship.
In 2016, the national football team won a Copa América title.
In December 2017, Sebastián Piñera succeeded Bachelet again as the President of Chile after winning the presidential election.
Between 2006 and 2017, Chile's gold production varied. In 2017, Chile produced 35.9 tonnes of gold.
In 2017 Chile signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
In 2017, Chile's latest census recorded a population of 17.5 million people.
In 2017, the government of Chile launched its first cyber security strategy, which receives technical support from the Organization of American States (OAS) Cyber Security Program of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE).
The opponents of the binominal system approved in 2015 a moderate proportional electoral system that has been in force since the 2017 parliamentary elections, allowing the entry of new parties and coalitions.
Chile had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.37/10, ranking it 43rd globally out of 172 countries.
In 2018, Chile was in 6th place in the world for wine production.
Sebastián Piñera succeeded Bachelet again in 2018 as the President of Chile after winning the December 2017 presidential election.
The creation of two new regions in 2007, Arica and Parinacota (XV) and Los Ríos (XIV), and a third region in 2018, Ñuble (XVI) made this numbering lose its original order meaning.
From 2019 to 2022, Chile endured a series of nationwide protests in response to a rise in the Santiago Metro's subway fare, the increased cost of living, privatization, and inequality.
In 2019, Chile was responsible for 26% of the global salmon supply, making it the world's second largest producer of salmon after Norway.
In November, most of the political parties represented in the National Congress signed an agreement to call a national referendum in April 2020 regarding the creation of a new Constitution; it was later postponed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 25 October 2020, Chileans voted 78.28 percent in favor of a new constitution, while 21.72 percent rejected the change. Voter turnout was 51 percent.
In 2020, Chile had 85,984 km of highways, with 21,289 km paved. In the same year, the country had 3,347 km of duplicated highways, the second largest network in South America, after Brazil.
In 2020, Chile's total energy supply (TES) was 23.0GJ per capita. Energy in Chile is dominated by fossil fuels, with coal, oil and gas accounting for 73.4% of the total primary energy. Biofuels and waste account for another 20.5% of primary energy supply, with the rest sourced from hydro and other renewables.
Between 15 and 16 May 2021, an election for the members of the Constitutional Convention was held in Chile. The results saw a complete rearrangement of the political system established since the end of Pinochet's dictatorship in 1990, with various independent and leftist candidates performing strongly relative to conventional center-right and center-left parties.
In November 2021, the number of people entering Chile from elsewhere in Latin America had grown swiftly in the last decade, tripling in the last three years to 1.5 million, with arrivals stemming from humanitarian crises in Haiti (ca. 180,000) and Venezuela (ca 460,000).
The last congressional elections were held on 21 November 2021, concurrently with the presidential election.
On 19 December 2021, a leftist candidate, the 35-year-old former student protest leader Gabriel Boric, won Chile's presidential election to become the country's youngest leader.
A 2021 study showed that regions in Chile with a higher share of North European migrants developed faster in terms of numeracy.
In 2021, Chile had 6,807 MW in hydropower (28th largest in the world), 3,137 MW in wind power (28th largest in the world), 4,468 MW in solar (22nd largest in the world), and 375 MW in biomass.
On 11 March 2022, Boric was sworn in as president to succeed outgoing President Sebastian Piñera. The majority of Boric's Cabinet—14 out of 24—are women, which is a first in the Western Hemisphere.
On 4 September 2022, voters rejected the new constitution proposal in the constitutional referendum, which was put forward by the left-leaning Constitutional Convention.
From 2019 to 2022, Chile endured a series of nationwide protests in response to a rise in the Santiago Metro's subway fare, the increased cost of living, privatization, and inequality.
The unemployment rate was 7.8% in 2022, according to The World Bank.
On 17 December 2023, voters rejected a second new constitution proposal in a new constitutional referendum, written by the conservative-led Constitutional Council.
In 2023 Chile emitted 107.99 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, equivalent to around 0.2% of the global total. In recent years Chile has emerged as a global leader in clean energy, particularly solar and wind.
In 2023, Chile was the fourth largest silver producer globally.
According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, Chile is the 64th most peaceful country in the world.
In 2024, Chile was ranked 1st in the Global Innovation Index.
By 2050, Chile's population is expected to reach approximately 20.2 million people.
Chile has committed to net zero emissions by 2050.
The United States of America is a federal republic of...
Venezuela officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is located on...
California is the most populous US state located on the...
Colombia is a South American country with a diverse landscape...
The Catholic Church the largest Christian church globally with over...
The World Bank is an international financial institution offering loans...
33 minutes ago Spencer ejected for headbutting Sengun; Jackson-Davis shines in eventful NBA Playoffs game.
33 minutes ago Jonathan Kuminga's Illness Sidelines Him for Game 5, Returns with Good News for Game 6
33 minutes ago Jason Momoa spotted in NYC; Supergirl shows fighting skills, DCU teased.
34 minutes ago Kenley Jansen trade rumors swirl: Yankees, Cubs, and Dodgers interested in All-Star.
34 minutes ago Rockies Face Giants: Senzatela vs Ray, Verlander's Odds, and How to Watch MLB
34 minutes ago Indian Panthers NBL season suspended due to serious pay allegations and humiliation.
Pope Francis is the current head of the Catholic Church...
Ronald Reagan the th U S President - was a...
Michael Jordan also known as MJ is an American businessman...
Cristiano Ronaldo often nicknamed CR is a highly decorated Portuguese...
LeBron James nicknamed King James is a professional basketball player...
The Real ID Act of is a US federal law...