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Chile Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Chile
Capital Santiago
Area 756,626 sq km
292,135 sq mi
Chile: Flag and Anthem
Chile: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 16,284,741 (2007 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 0.92 percent (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 18,521,153 (2007 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 19,244,843 (2007 estimate)
Population density 22 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)
56 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 88 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 12 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Santiago 5,477,804 (2003 estimate)
Puente Alto 627,263 (2006 estimate)
Antofagasta 341,942 (2006 estimate)
Viña del Mar 292,203 (2006 estimate)
Valparaíso 276,474 (2006 estimate)
Concepción 225,158 (2006 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Mestizo 93 percent
Native American 3 percent
European 2 percent
Other 2 percent
Languages
Spanish (official)
Religious affiliations
Roman Catholic 78 percent
Protestant 3 percent
Atheists 2 percent
Nonreligious 7 percent
Other 10 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 77 years (2007 estimate)
Female 80.4 years (2007 estimate)
Male 73.7 years (2007 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 8 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)
Population per physician 916 people (2004)
Population per hospital bed 385 people (2002)
Literacy rate
Total 96.5 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 96.4 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 96.6 percent (2005 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 4.4 percent (2002-2003)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 8 years (2002-2003)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 33 students per teacher (2002-2003)
Government
Form of government Multiparty republic
Head of state President
Head of government President
Legislature Bicameral legislature
Chamber of Deputies: 120 elected deputies
Senate: 38 elected and 10 appointed members
Voting qualifications Universal and compulsory at age 18
Constitution 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997
Highest court Supreme Court
Armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force
Total number of military personnel 78,098 (2004)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 3.9 percent (2003)
First-level political divisions 13 regions
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $115.2 billion (2005)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $7,072.50 (2005)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 5.5 percent (2005)
Industry 46.8 percent (2005)
Services 47.7 percent (2005)
Employment
Number of workers 6,512,221 (2005)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 13 percent (2005)
Industry 23 percent (2005)
Services 64 percent (2005)
Unemployment rate 7.4 percent (2003)
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $21,580 million (2005)
Total expenditure $28,138 million (2005)
Monetary unit
1 Chilean peso (Ch$), consisting of 100 centavos
Agriculture
Grapes, apples, wheat, sugar beets, tomatoes, potatoes, maize, wood and wood products, livestock
Mining
Copper, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, nitrates, silver, gold, molybdenum
Manufacturing
Non-ferrous metals, food products, petroleum products, paper products, chemicals
Major exports
Copper, fishmeal, fruits and vegetables, paper and paper products, chemical products
Major imports
Machinery and transportation equipment, chemical and mineral products
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Japan, United Kingdom, China, and Brazil
Major trade partners for imports
Argentina, United States, Brazil, China, and Germany
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 43.32 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 53.37 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 3.31 percent (2003 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 354 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 211 (2005)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 244 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 138 (2003)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 99 (1995 estimate)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 136 (2003)
Paved road as a share of total roads 20 percent (2001)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
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