Chile, the full name of the Republic of Chile, has an area of ​​756,626 square kilometers (including land area of ​​756,253 square kilometers and island area of ​​373 square kilometers). Located in southwestern South America, the western foothills of the Andes. It is adjacent to Argentina to the east, Peru and Bolivia to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Antarctica to the south across the sea. The coastline is about 10,000 kilometers long, 4352 kilometers long from north to south, 96.8 kilometers wide from east to west, and 362.3 kilometers wide. It is the country with the narrowest terrain in the world. To the east is the western slope of the Andes, which accounts for about 1/3 of the width of the whole territory; to the west is the coastal mountain range with an altitude of 300-2000 meters. Most of the area stretches along the coast and enters the sea to the south, forming numerous coastal islands; The valley filled with alluvial deposits is about 1200 meters above sea level. There are many volcanoes in the territory and frequent earthquakes. The Ojos del Salado peak on the border between Chile and Argentina is 6,885 meters above sea level, the highest point in the country. There are more than 30 rivers in the country, the more important ones are the Biobio River. The main islands are Tierra del Fuego, Chiloe Island, Wellington Island, etc. The climate can be divided into three distinct areas: the north, the middle, and the south: the northern section is mainly desert climate; the middle section is the subtropical Mediterranean type with rainy winters and dry summers Climate; South is a rainy temperate broad-leaved forest climate. Being located at the southernmost tip of the American continent and facing Antarctica across the sea, Chileans often call their country "the country of the end of the world."

The country is divided into 13 regions, with 50 provinces and 341 cities. The names of the regions are as follows: Tarapaca, Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaiso, General O'Higgins the Liberator, Maule, Biobio, A Rocanía, Los Lagos, Eisen of General Ibanez, Magellan, Santiago Metropolitan Region.

In the early days, there lived Indian ethnic groups such as the Alaugans and the Huotian people. Before the beginning of the 16th century, it belonged to the Inca Empire. In 1535, Spanish colonists invaded northern Chile from Peru. After the establishment of Santiago in 1541, Chile became a Spanish colony and was ruled by it for nearly 300 years. On September 18, 1810, Chile established a governing committee to exercise autonomy. In February 1817, allied forces with Argentina defeated the Spanish colonial army. Independence was officially declared on February 12, 1818, and the Republic of Chile was established.

The national flag: consists of blue, white and red. The corner of the flag on the upper side of the flagpole is a blue square with a white five-pointed star painted in the center. The flag ground consists of two parallel rectangles, white and red. White is on top, red is on bottom. The white part is equal to two-thirds of the red part. The red color symbolizes the blood of the martyrs who died heroically in Rancagua for the independence and freedom of Chile, and to resist the rule of the Spanish colonial army. White symbolizes the white snow of the Andes peak. Blue symbolizes the ocean.

Chile has a total population of 16.0934 million (2004), and the urban population accounts for 86.6%. Among them, Indo-European mixed race accounted for 75%, white 20%, Indian 4.6%, and the other 2%. The official language is Spanish, and Mapuche is used in Indian communities. 69.9% of the population over the age of 15 believe in Catholicism, and 15.14% believe in evangelicalism.

Chile is a middle-level development country. Mining, forestry, fishery and agriculture are rich in resources and are the four pillars of the national economy. Rich in mineral deposits, forests and aquatic resources, it is famous all over the world for its abundance of copper and is known as the "country of copper mines". The proven copper reserves amount to more than 200 million tons, ranking first in the world, accounting for about 1/3 of the world's reserves. The output and export volume of copper are also number one in the world. The iron reserves are about 1.2 billion tons, and the coal reserves are about 5 billion tons. In addition, there are saltpeter, molybdenum, gold, silver, aluminum, zinc, iodine, oil, natural gas, etc. It is rich in temperate forests and excellent wood. It is the largest exporter of forest products in Latin America. Rich in fishery resources, it is the fifth largest fishery country in the world. Industry and mining are the lifeblood of the Chilean national economy. The cultivated land area is 16,600 square kilometers. The country’s forests cover 15.649 million hectares, accounting for 20.8% of the country’s land area. The main forest products are wood, pulp, paper, etc.

Chile is one of the countries with higher cultural and artistic standards in Latin America. There are 1999 libraries nationwide, with a total collection of 17.907 million books. There are 260 cinemas. The capital Santiago is the national cultural activity center, with 25 art galleries. The poet Gabriela Mistral won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945, becoming the first South American writer to receive this prize. The poet Pablo Neruda won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Chile’s Easter Island is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and is famous for its mysterious colossus. There are more than 600 ancient huge stone busts facing the sea on the island. In February 1996, the island was declared a world cultural heritage by UNESCO.

Santiago: Santiago, the capital of Chile, is the fourth largest city in South America. Located in the central part of Chile, it faces the Mapocho River in front, the Andes to the east, and the port of Valparaiso to the west about 185 kilometers. It covers an area of ​​13,308 square kilometers and is 600 meters above sea level. Summer is dry and mild, and winter is cool and rainy and foggy. The population is 6,465,300 (2004), and it was built in 1541. After the Battle of Maipu (the decisive battle in the Chilean War of Independence) in 1818, it became the capital.

It developed rapidly after the discovery of silver mines in the nineteenth century. Since then, it has been repeatedly damaged by natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, and the historic buildings have disappeared. Today San Diego has become a modern city. The cityscape is beautiful and colorful. Palm whirling throughout the year. The 230-meter-high Santa Lucia Mountain near the city center is a famous scenic spot. In the northeast corner of the city, there is the San Cristobal Mountain with an altitude of 1,000 meters. A giant marble statue of the Virgin is erected on the top of the mountain, which is a great local attraction.

San Diego’s main street, O'Higgins Avenue, is 3 kilometers long and 100 meters wide, and runs across the city. There are trees on both sides of the road, and there is a fountain and vividly shaped commemorative bronze statues every not far away. There is Liberation Square at the west end of the street, Syntagma Square nearby, and Bagdano Square on the east side of the street. There is the armed forces square in the city center. There are the Catholic Church, the main church, the post office, and the city hall in the urban and suburban areas; there are the ancient Chilean University, the Catholic University, the National College, the largest library in South America (with 1.2 million books), the history museum, the national gallery, and parks and zoos And monuments. Nearly 54% of the country's industry is concentrated here. The suburbs are irrigated with Andean mountains and water, and agriculture is developed. It is also the national land and air transportation center.