ign 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
Climate:
temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south
Terrain:
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
Natural resources:
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum
Land use:
arable land:
7%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
16%
forest and woodland:
21%
other:
56%
Irrigated land:
12,650 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution
from untreated sewage; deforestation contributing to loss of
biodiversity; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
subject to severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
international agreements:
party to - Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands,
Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama
Desert one of world's driest regions

@Chile, People

Population:
13,950,557 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.51% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
20.59 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
5.49 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
74.51 years
male:
71.52 years
female:
77.65 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.5 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Chilean(s)
adjective:
Chilean
Ethnic divisions:
European and European-Indian 95%, Indian 3%, other 2%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish
Languages:
Spanish
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
93%
male:
94%
female:
93%
Labor force:
4.728 million
by occupation:
services 38.3% (includes government 12%), industry and commerce 33.8%,
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 19.2%, mining 2.3%, constructi