Chile

Chile - Location, scenery and population

Chile is located in South America occupying a long and narrow strip between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean with a total extension of 755,000 km² and with a population of 17 Million inhabitants. The living conditions of Chile are one of the best within the South American continent.

The northern region known as desert of Atacama is one of the most arid zones of the world. In the south, also known as region of the lakes, we will find extensive forests of coniferous and in the central part is characterized by fertile plains.

The climate of Chile comprises a large variety of different climatic subtypes, ranging from:

• Desert climate in the north,
• Humid in Easter Island,
• Mediterranean climate in the central areas
• Alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and south east areas.

The majority of the Chilean population is concentrated in the capital, Santiago sheltering approximately 40 % of the total population. There exist two big groups that together represent 95 % of the population: the Creoles and mixed race.

Though during the last decade the emigration has decreased considerably, it is estimated that the main part of Chileans living abroad, lives in Argentina followed by the United States.