Geography
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru
Geographic coordinates:
30 00 S, 71 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total area:
756,950 sq km
land area:
748,800 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
note:
includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Land boundaries:
total:
6,171 km
border countries:
Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km
Coastline:
6,435 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is indefinite; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims
Climate:
temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south
Terrain:
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Cerro Aconcagua 6,962 m
Natural resources:
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum
Land use:
arable land:
7%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
16%
forest and woodland:
21%
other:
56%
Irrigated land:
12,650 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation contributing to loss of biodiversity; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
international agreements:
party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geographic 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
