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About Chile

Chile is the longest country in the world with a narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean that stretches over 4,630 km north to south, and is only 430 km at its widest point east to west.

Chili offers a wide variety of landscapes with the Atacama desert in the north, the relatively small Central Valley with Santiago as the main capital, southern Chile whith its forests, grazing lands and a string of volcanoes and lakes, the Andes in the east with Nevado Ojos del Salado as the highest peak at 6,880 m and finally the Arctic south (Patagonia Chilena) that has an incredible beauty of gigantic glaciers, with wildlife of birds, seals, sea lions and whales.

Northern Chile contains a rich history of medieval and early modern Inca culture, while indigneous Mapuche and other Araucanian cultures developed in the Central and Southern regions.

Top destinations in Chile

Cities in Chile

Santiago

General information

Capital: Santiago
Language: Spanish
Climate: Temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south
Timezone: UTC-4
Currency: Chilean peso (CLP)
Electricity plugs: c (show)
No. of inhabitants: 15,980,912 (July 2005 est.)
Interl. accesscode +56
Toplevel domain +56
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Good to know

Chile has a distinct European heritage that is evident throughout the country. Chilean hospitality is renowned and offers the visitor excellent wines and seafood and unique handicrafts.

Religion: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)