Chile
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chile is a long, thin country which is on the western side of South America. The people there speak Spanish.
| Republic of Chile República de Chile |
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| National information | |||||
| National motto: | "Por la razón o por la fuerza" ("By reason or by strength") |
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| National anthem: | Himno Nacional (National anthem of Chile) | ||||
| About the people | |||||
| Official languages: | Spanish | ||||
| Population: (# of people) |
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| Geography / Places | |||||
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| Capital city: | Santiago | ||||
| Largest city: | Santiago | ||||
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| Politics / Government | |||||
| Established: | February 12, 1818 | ||||
| Leaders: | President Michelle Bachelet | ||||
| Economy / Money | |||||
| Currency: (Name of money) |
Peso (CLP) | ||||
| International information | |||||
| Time zone: | -4 | ||||
| Telephone dialing code: | 56 | ||||
| Internet domain: | .cl | ||||
Chile, which claims a part of the Antarctic continent, is the longest country on earth. The Atacama Desert, in the north of the country, is the driest place of the earth. The rain there is under 0.05 mm per year. The center of Chile, with the two cities Santiago and Valparaiso, has a Mediterranean climate with average temperatures of 28°C in January and 11°C in July. In the middle of Chile, the country is very fertile.
There are about 16 million people living in Chile in 2006.About 10 million people live in the center of Chile around Valparaiso and Santiago, on about 20% of the total territory.
Chile is a well educated country. Only 2.7% are not able to read or write. Some believe that Chile has one of the best school systems in South America.
About 95% of Chileans are Caucasian, mostly Spanish. Around 3% of the population is Native American, and about 2% full European. The majority of people are Roman Catholic (70%). About 10% are Protestant, and there are some who practice Judaism as well. The country's official language is Spanish. Chili did not devrive from this country, although it shares a common name.
Chile's currency is the Chilean peso (1 Euro is about 685 Chilean pesos).
1 US Dollar is 540 Chilean pesos
| Countries and territories of South America |
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| Independent: Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Ecuador | Guyana | Paraguay | Peru | Suriname | Uruguay | Venezuela |
| Governed by other countries: Falkland Islands | French Guiana | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
