Chile: Geography#
| Location | Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 30 00 S, 71 00 W -30.0,-71.0 |
| Area | total: 756,102 sq km land: 743,812 sq km water: 12,290 sq km note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez [Verified in 8 databases] |
| Land boundaries | total: 7,801 km border countries: Argentina 6,691 km, Bolivia 942 km, Peru 168 km |
| Coastline | 6,435 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Ojos del Salado 6880 m; Cerro El Muerto 6488 m; Nevado Parinacota 6342 m; Pomerape 6265 m; Aucanquilcha 6176 m According to Geonames: Cerro Ojos del Salado 6891 m; Cerro Tupungato 6570 m; Cerro Solo 6190 m; Cerro Aucanquilcha 6176 m; Cerro Juncal 6110 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Mountains |
| Terrain | low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east |
| Natural Hazards | severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis volcanism: significant volcanic activity due to more than three-dozen active volcanoes along the Andes Mountains; Lascar (elev. 5,592 m), which last erupted in 2007, is the most active volcano in the northern Chilean Andes; Llaima (elev. 3,125 m) in central Chile, which last erupted in 2009, is another of the country's most active; Chaiten's 2008 eruption forced major evacuations; other notable historically active volcanoes include Cerro Hudson, Copahue, Guallatiri, Llullaillaco, Nevados de Chillan, Puyehue, San Pedro, and Villarrica |
| Natural Resource | copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower |
| Land Use | arable land: 1.74% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 97.65% (2011) |
| Climate | temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south |
| Irrigated Land | 11,990 sq km (2003) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 922 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Large Cities | Santiago; Puente Alto; Antofagasta; Vina del Mar; Valparaiso [Verified] Important Cities |
| Geography-note | the longest north-south trending country in the world, extending across 38 degrees of latitude; strategic location relative to sea lanes between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert - the driest desert in the world - spreads across the northern part of the country; the crater lake of Ojos del Salado is the world's highest lake (at 6,390 m) Important Lakes |