Chile

Sights and landscapes

Stretching from 17°S in the north to 55°S in the south, Chile is latitude-wise among the longest countries in the world, with several climate zones and types of nature. High mountains are present everywhere in the country. On the Chilean mainland you can visit five UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Old Valparaíso , the Sewell mining town in Rancagua and the Humberstone, Santa Laura Saltpeter Works outside Iquique , the Qhapaq Ñan track network in the three northern regions, and the Chinchorro mummies in Arica y Parinacota. Just off the coast are the churches of Chiloé Island , and five and a half hours by plane across the Pacific Ocean will get you to maybe the most famous "Off the Beaten Path" destination in the world: Easter Island . Both of these are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

A long and narrow coastal Southern Cone country on the west side of the Andes Mountains , Chile stretches over 4,300 km (2,670 mi) north to south, but only 350 km (217 mi) at its widest point east to west and 64 km (40 mi) at its narrowest point east to west, with an average width of 175 km (109 mi). This encompasses a large variety of climates and landscapes. It contains 756,950 square kilometers (292,260 sq mi) of land area. It is situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire . Excluding its Pacific islands and Antarctic claim, Chile lies between latitudes 17° and 56°S , and longitudes 66° and 75°W .

Chile is among the longest north–south countries in the world. If one considers only mainland territory, Chile is unique within this group in its narrowness from east to west, with the other long north–south countries (including Brazil, Russia, Canada, and the United States, among others) all being wider from east to west by a factor of more than 10. Chile also claims 1,250,000 km 2 (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica as part of its territory ( Chilean Antarctic Territory ). However, this latter claim is suspended under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty , of which Chile is a signatory. It is the world's southernmost country that is geographically on the mainland.

Chile controls Easter Island and Sala y Gómez Island, the easternmost islands of Polynesia, which it incorporated to its territory in 1888, and the Juan Fernández Islands , more than 600 km (370 mi) from the mainland. Also controlled but only temporarily inhabited (by some local fishermen) are the small islands of San Ambrosio and San Felix . These islands are notable because they extend Chile's claim to territorial waters out from its coast into the Pacific Ocean.

The northern Atacama Desert contains great mineral wealth, primarily copper and nitrates . The relatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources. This area is also the historical center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century when it integrated the northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests, grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border.

Chile is located along a highly seismic and volcanic zone, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, due to the subduction of the Nazca and Antarctic plates in the South American Plate . In the late Paleozoic , 251 million years ago, Chile belonged to the continental block called Gondwana . It was just a depression that accumulated marine sediments began to rise at the end of the Mesozoic, 66 million years ago, due to the collision between the Nazca Plate and South American Plate, resulting in the Andes. The territory would be shaped over millions of years by the folding of the rocks, forming the current relief.

The Chilean relief consists of the central depression, which crosses the country longitudinally, flanked by two mountain ranges that make up about 80% of the territory: the Andes Mountains to the east-natural border with Bolivia and Argentina in the region of Atacama and the Coastal Range west-minor height from the Andes. Chile's highest peak is the Nevado Ojos del Salado , at 6891.3 m, which is also the highest volcano in the world. The highest point of the Coastal Range is Vicuña Mackenna, at 3114 meters, located in the Sierra Vicuña Mackenna, the south of Antofagasta . Among the coastal mountains and the Pacific is a series of coastal plains, of variable length, which allow the settlement of coastal towns and big ports. Some areas of the plains territories encompass territory east of the Andes, and the Patagonian steppes and Magellan, or are high plateaus surrounded by high mountain ranges, such as the Altiplano or Puna de Atacama.

Culture and food

Chilean cuisine has a wide variety of dishes that emerged from the amalgamation of indigenous tradition and Spanish colonial contribution, combining their food, customs and culinary habits. Influences from German, Italian and French cuisines are thanks to immigrants who arrived during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Planning your route

Chile has a rather good airport infrastructure. The main hub for flights in Chile is the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport ( SCL IATA ) in Santiago, from where several airlines serve even the remotest corners of the country. These airlines are the three Chilean airlines: LATAM Airlines, Sky Airline and JetSmart . Although LATAM is by far the largest company, Sky and JetSmart offer good services to the main cities.

Use the Chilean page of the airlines because they charge in pesos, which is a lot cheaper than the English version with U.S. dollars. Subscribing to the airlines' notifications is also recommended as many of the promotions come in the form of a code. You can find cheap prices four months before the flight and especially if you fly between Tuesday and Thursday or on Saturday. Low-cost airlines do not allow free carry-ons except a small bag.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.