LocationWest coast of South America.
Area756,626 sq km (292,058 sq miles).
Population17 million (2008 estimate).
Population Density22 per sq km.
CapitalSantiago (de Chile).
Population: 6.1 million (last official census).
GovernmentRepublic. Gained independence from Spain in 1810.
LanguageSpanish (official), Mapudungu (the language of the Mapuche), Rapanui (Easter Island) and Aymara.
ReligionChristian (mostly Roman Catholic).
TimeMainland 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).
Electricity220 volts AC, 50Hz. European plugs with two circular metal pins are used.
Head of StatePresident Michelle Bachelet since January 2006.
Recent HistoryNow in its fourth successive term, the Concertación coalition has governed the country since Chile's return to democracy in 1990.
Currently led by Chile's first ever woman president, Michelle Bachelet, who came to power in 2006, the country faces many familiar problems in the present era of financial instability. Prices for copper, the country's main export, have fallen sharply recently, while high inflation has sparked unrest among civil servants. Corruption scandals continue to dog certain parts of the government, in particular the Ministry of Public Works.
Chile's energy needs are also a source of much debate, with pending dam projects in the south causing much concern among environmentalists.
TelephoneCountry 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 TelephoneRoaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good in built-up areas, less so outside of the towns. It is also cheap and easy to buy your own if you are in the country for any length of time.
InternetThere are Internet cafes in the main towns and tourist areas.
MediaChile enjoys a reasonable level of press freedom, which is now enshrined in the constitution. There is, however, a heavy conservative tilt to the media, which has never quite redressed the imbalance of the Pinochet-era restrictions.
PostThe postal service,
Correos de Chile (
www.correos.cl), is reasonably reliable. Airmail to Europe and the USA takes approximately four days to a week.
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 government-run
La Nación.
• Foreign newspapers are available.
• The
Santiago Times (
www.santiagotimes.cl) is published online in English, while the Patagonia Times (
www.patagoniatimes.cl) concentrates on news in the country's south.
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.
• Santiago Radio (
www.santiagoradio.cl) is a fledgling English-language online station.
Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.
2009
1 Jan New Year's Day.
10 Apr Good Friday.
11 Apr Holy Saturday.
1 May Labor Day.
21 May Navy Day.
11 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.
2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
2 Apr Good Friday.
3 Apr Holy Saturday.
1 May Labor Day.
21 May Navy Day.
3 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.
11 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 8300.
Website:
www.sernatur.clEmbassy and Consulate of the Republic of Chile in the UK12 Devonshire Street, London W1G 7DS, UK
Tel: (020) 7580 6392 (embassy)
or 1023 (consular section).
Website:
www.echileuk.co.ukWorking hours: Mon-Thurs 0900-1730, Fri: 0900-1430; Open to public: Mon-Fri 0900-1330.
Embassy of the Republic of Chile in the USA1732 Massachussets Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Tel: (202) 785 1746.
Website:
www.chile-usa.org
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