Chile Country & Tourist Information

Location
West coast of South America.

Area
756,096 sq km (291,930 sq miles).

Population
16 million (2006 estimate).

Population Density
21 per sq km.

Capital
Santiago (de Chile).
Population: 5.5 million (UN estimate 2003).

Government
Republic. Gained independence from Spain in 1810.

Language
Spanish (official), Rapanui (Easter Island) and Aymara.

Religion
Christian, of which the majority are Roman Catholic.

Time
Mainland and Juan Fernández Islands: GMT - 4 (GMT - 3 from second Sunday in October to second Saturday in March).
Easter Island: GMT - 6 (GMT - 5 from second Sunday in October to second Saturday in March).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. European plugs with two circular metal pins are used.

Head of State
President Michelle Bachelet since January 2006.

Telephone
Country code: 56. Public phone boxes are unreliable, and visitors will find it cheaper to use phones in centros de llamadas (call centers) in towns, or in Internet cafes.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good, except in remoter areas.

Internet
There are Internet cafes in the main towns and tourist areas.

Media
There is freedom of speech in Chile, especially following the 2001 Press Freedom Act, which ended many of the Pinochet-era restrictions on the media.


Post
The postal service, Correos de Chile (website: www.correos.cl), is reasonably reliable. Airmail to Europe and the USA takes approximately three to four days.

Post office hours: in Santiago Mon-Fri 0830-1900; Sat 0830-1300. The central post office in Santiago is located at Plaza de Armas 559. Post offices in villages can have reduced service.

Press
• Spanish dailies include El Mercurio (conservative), La Tercera, conservative evening newspaper La Segunda, business newspaper El Diario, and La Nación which is government owned.
• Foreign newspapers are available.
• The Santiago Times is published in English.

Radio
• Stations include Radio Nacional de Chile; news-based national commercial network Radio Cooperativa; commercial Pudahuel FM; Bio Bio La Radio and El Conquistador; and music-based Radio Horizonte.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Apr Good Friday.
7 Apr Holy Saturday.
1 May Labor Day.
21 May Navy Day.
7 Jun* Corpus Christi.
29 Jun* St Peter and St Paul.
15 Aug Assumption.
11 Sep Reconciliation Day.
18 Sep Independence Day.
19 Sep Army Day.
12 Oct* Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day).
1 Nov All Saints’ Day.
8 Dec Immaculate Conception.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
21 Mar Good Friday.
22 Mar Holy Saturday.
1 May Labor Day.
21 May Navy Day.
22 May* Corpus Christi.
29 Jun* St Peter and St Paul.
15 Aug Assumption.
11 Sep Reconciliation Day.
18 Sep Independence Day.
19 Sep Army Day.
12 Oct* Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day).
1 Nov All Saints’ Day.
8 Dec Immaculate Conception.
25 Dec Christmas Day.

Note
*If Corpus Christi, St Peter and St Paul and Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day) fall on a day other than Saturday, Sunday or Monday, the holiday is usually held on the nearest Monday.

Contact Information:

Servicio Nacional de Turismo (SERNATUR) (Tourist Office)
Avenida Providencia 1550, PO Box 7500548, Santiago, Chile
Tel: (2) 731 8419.
Website: www.sernatur.cl

Embassy and Consulate of the Republic of Chile in the UK
12 Devonshire Street, London W1G 7DS, UK
Tel: (020) 7580 6392 (embassy) or 1023 (consular section).
Website: www.echileuk.demon.co.uk
Working hours: Mon-Thurs 0900-1730, Fri: 0900-1430; Open to public: Mon-Fri 0900-1330.

Embassy of the Republic of Chile in the USA
1732 Massachussets Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Tel: (202) 785 1746.
Website: www.chile-usa.org


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