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Chile: The Facts Written by Anna Mracek
Running along the Western edge of South America, Chile covers a total area of 756,950 square kilometers and has 6,435 km of coastline. Covering slightly less than twice the area of Montana, Chile has low coastal mountains, a fertile central valley and rugged Andes mountains in the East along its Argentine border. In addition to Argentina, Chile shares borders with Bolivia and Peru. Chile also has coastline in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The capital of Chile, Santiago, is located in the middle of the long ribbon of territory that it Chile. A beautiful and rugged place, Chile is known to have severe earthquakes, active volcanoes and even tsunamis (extremely large and destructive waves generated by ocean-floor seismic activity). Chile has deserts in the north and a cool, damp climate in the south. Only 5 percent of the land is arable at all, and 18 percent is used as permanent pasture. The Chilean people are mostly (95%) Caucasian and Caucasian-Amerindian with pure Amerindians and other ethnic groups making up the remaining population. Roman Catholicism is the majority religion with other forms of Christianity and Judaism constituting the minority faiths. Fully 95% of all the Chileans over the age of 15 can read and write. The Republic of Chile is divided into 13 administrative regions and won its independence from Spain on the 18th of September, 1810. Everyone 18 years of age or older is required to vote. The Executive Branch of the republic is currently led by chief of state President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle. The President is elected by popular vote to serve a six year term. The Legislative Branch is comprised of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies with each region receiving representation based on population in the Chamber of Deputies. The Judicial Branch is a Supreme Court whose 17 judges are appointed by the President.
The flag's red white and blue design was based on the flag of the United States of America. The five-pointed white star in the center of the blue square and the red and white bands are directly based on the fifty stars and thirteen stripes of the US flag. Chile's main exports include copper, other metals and minerals, lumber and wood products, fish, and fruit. Sources:
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