Chile - Country Profile
Geography: Size: 756 626 km2 (including Isla de Pascua);width: about 177km; length: 4270 km. Highest Peak: Anconcagua 7010 m.
Population: (2000) 14,824 million inhabitants; 70% Mestizos, 25% Europeans, 3% Indigenous.
Political Partition: Capital: Santiago de Chile; Provinces (from north to south): Tarapaca, Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Ancocagua, Santiago, O' Higgins, Colchagua, Crucio, Talca, Linares, Nuble, Bio-Bio, Arauco, Malleco, Cautin, Valdivia, Osorno, Llanquihe, Chiloé, Aysen, Magallanes.
History: Conquest by Spanish troops in the 1st half of the 16th century (foundation of Santiago 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia); Independence: 1818 (Republic); 1879/84 war against Bolivia and Peru. 1973 peaceful socialist Revolution with Salvador Allende as President. 11.9.1973: Military Insurrection by General Pinochet. Implementation of the 1st neoliberal Economy. Dictatorship until 1990. Eduardo Frei, President since March 1994; Ricardo Lagos, President since March 2000.
