Chile: Geography#

LocationSouthern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
Geographic Coordinates30 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 boundariestotal: 7,801 km
border countries: Argentina 6,691 km, Bolivia 942 km, Peru 168 km
Coastline6,435 km
Elevation Extremeslowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m
Highest MountainsDue 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@global-geography.org
Important Mountains
Terrainlow coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
Natural Hazardssevere 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 Resourcecopper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower
Land Usearable land: 1.74%
permanent crops: 0.6%
other: 97.65% (2011)
Climatetemperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south
Irrigated Land11,990 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources922 cu km (2011)
Environment_CurrentIssueswidespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage
Environment - international agreementsparty 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 CitiesSantiago; Puente Alto; Antofagasta; Vina del Mar; Valparaiso
[Verified]
Important Cities
Geography-notethe 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