Independence Year : 1810
Population : 15211000
Life Expectancy : 75.7
Capital : 554
GNP : 72949.00
GNP Old : 75780.00
Local Name : Chile
Government Form : Republic
Location : Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru.
Terrain : Desert in north; fertile central valley; volcanoes and lakes toward the south, giving way to rugged and complex coastline; Andes Mountains on the eastern border.
Climate : Arid in north, Mediterranean in the central portion, cool and damp in south
Ethnic Group : Spanish-Native-American (mestizo), European, Native-American.
Religions : Roman Catholic 69.9%; Protestant 15%
Official Website :
www.gobiernodechile.cl/
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General Information - Chile
Background
A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, which ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990.
Sound economic policies, first implemented by the PINOCHET dictatorship, led to unprecedented growth in 1991-97 and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Growth slowed in 1998-99, but recovered strongly in 2000.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
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