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World > South America >
Chile > Geography (Facts)
Chile - Geography (Facts) |
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Location: |
Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru |
Geographic coordinates: |
30 00 S, 71 00 W |
Map references: |
South America |
Area: |
total: 756,950 sq km land: 748,800 sq km water: 8,150 sq km note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez |
Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana |
Land boundaries: |
total: 6,339 km border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km |
Coastline: |
6,435 km |
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200/350 nm |
Climate: |
temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south |
Terrain: |
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east |
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m |
Natural resources: |
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower |
Land use: |
arable land: 2.62% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 96.95% (2005) |
Irrigated land: |
19,000 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: |
severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis |
Environment - current issues: |
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 |
Geography - note: |
strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions |
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