291 lines
23 KiB
Plaintext
291 lines
23 KiB
Plaintext
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CHILE
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 756,950 km2; land area: 748,800 km2; includes Isla de
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Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
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Land boundaries: 6,171 km total; Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia
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861 km, Peru 160 km
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Coastline: 6,435 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
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Continental shelf: 200 nm;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is
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indefinite; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South
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Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884;
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dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in
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Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine
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claim
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Climate: temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south
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Terrain: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged
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Andes in east
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Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious
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metals, molybdenum
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Land use: arable land 7%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 16%; forest and woodland 21%; other 56%; includes irrigated
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2%
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Environment: subject to severe earthquakes, active volcanism,
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tsunami; Atacama Desert one of world's driest regions; desertification
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Note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between
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Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake
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Passage)
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PEOPLE
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Population: 13,286,620 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991)
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Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 77 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Chilean(s); adjective--Chilean
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Ethnic divisions: European and European-Indian 95%, Indian 3%,
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other 2%
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Religion: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, and small Jewish
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population
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Language: Spanish
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Literacy: 93% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 3,840,000; services 38.6% (includes government 12%)
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38.6%; industry and commerce 31.3%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing
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15.9%; mining 8.7%; construction 4.4% (1985)
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Organized labor: 11% of labor force (1990)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Chile
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Type: republic
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Capital: Santiago
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Administrative divisions: 13 regions (regiones,
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singular--region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo,
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Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador
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General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica
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Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana, Tarapaca, Valparaiso;
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note--the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
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Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)
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Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981;
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amended 30 July 1989
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Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and
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subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review
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of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
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Executive branch: president, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso
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Nacional) consisting of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower
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house or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Patricio
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AYLWIN (since 11 March 1990)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Concertation of Parties for Democracy now consists mainly of six
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parties--Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Andres ZALDIVAR;
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Party for Democracy (PPD), Erich SCHNAKE;
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Radical Party (PR), Mario ASTORGA;
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Democratic Socialist Radical Party (PRSD), Jorge IBANEZ;
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Social Democratic Party (PSD), Rene ABELIUK; and
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Socialist Party, Jorge ARRATE;
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National Renovation (RN), Andres ALLAMAND;
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Independent Democratic Union (UDI), Joaquin LAVIN;
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Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), Volodia TEITELBOIM;
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Movement of Revolutionary Left (MIR) is splintered, no single
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leader
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December
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1993 or January 1994);
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results--Patricio AYLWIN (PDC) 55.2%, Hernan BUCHI 29.4%, other 15.4%;
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Senate--last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held December
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1993 or January 1994); seats--(46 total, 38 elected)
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Concertation of Parties for Democracy 22 (PDC 13, PPD 5, PR 2, PSD 1,
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PRSD 1), RN 6, UDI 2, independents 8;
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Chamber of Deputies--last held 14 December 1989 (next to be held
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December 1993 or January 1994); seats--(120 total)
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Concertation of Parties for Democracy 72 (PDC 38, PPD 17, PR 5, other
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12), RN 29, UDI 11, right-wing independents 8
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Communists: The PCCh is currently in the process of regaining
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legal party status and has less than 60,000 members
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Other political or pressure groups: revitalized university student
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federations at all major universities dominated by opposition political
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groups; labor--United Labor Central (CUT) includes trade unionists from
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the country's five-largest labor confederations; Roman Catholic Church
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Member of: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
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ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
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IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN,
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UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Patricio SILVA Echenique;
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Chancery at 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone
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(202) 785-1746; there are Chilean Consulates General in Chicago, Houston,
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Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco;
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US--Ambassador Charles A. GILLESPIE, Jr.; Embassy at Codina
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Building, 1343 Agustinas, Santiago (mailing address is APO Miami 34033);
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telephone 56 (2) 710133 or 710190, 710326, 710375
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Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a
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blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of
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the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center;
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design was based on the US flag
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ECONOMY
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Overview: In 1990 economic growth slowed from an average of 6.2%
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for the previous six years to about 1.5% as a result of tight monetary
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policy aimed at reducing inflation. Monetary policy was not
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successful at slowing price increases until the end of the year,
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however, and inflation, stimulated by higher world oil prices,
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increased to 27.3% in 1990 from 21.4% in 1989. Copper prices held strong
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in 1990, helping to maintain a balance-of-payments surplus and increase
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international reserves. Most observers expect that inflationary
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pressures have run their course and price increases will slow during
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1991, contributing to growth of 4-5%.
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GDP: $26 billion, per capita $2,000; real growth rate 2.0% (1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 27.3% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 5.6% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $6.6 billion; expenditures $7.1 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $575 million (1990 est.)
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Exports: $8.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--copper 48%, industrial products 33%, molybdenum,
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iron ore, wood pulp, fishmeal, fruits;
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partners--EC 34%, US 22%, Japan 10%, Brazil 7%
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Imports: $7.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--petroleum, wheat, capital goods, spare parts, raw
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materials;
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partners--EC 23%, US 20%, Japan 10%, Brazil 9%
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External debt: $18.4 billion (February 1991)
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Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1990);
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accounts for 30% of GDP
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Electricity: 4,138,000 kW capacity; 17,784 million kWh produced,
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1,360 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing,
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iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement,
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textiles
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Agriculture: accounts for about 8% of GDP (including fishing and
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forestry); major exporter of fruit, fish, and timber products; major
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crops--wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, deciduous
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fruit; livestock products--beef, poultry, wool; self-sufficient in most
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foods; 1986 fish catch of 5.6 million metric tons net agricultural
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importer
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $521
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $1.4 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $386 million
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Currency: Chilean peso (plural--pesos);
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1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos
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Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1--337.24 (January
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1991), 305.06 (1990), 267.16 (1989), 245.05 (1988), 219.54 (1987), 193.02
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(1986), 161.08 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 8,613 km total; 4,257 km 1.676-meter gauge, 135 km
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1.435-meter standard gauge, 4,221 km 1.000-meter gauge; electrification,
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1,865 km 1.676-meter gauge, 80 km 1.000-meter gauge
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Highways: 79,025 km total; 9,913 km paved, 33,140 km gravel,
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35,972 km improved and unimproved earth (1984)
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Inland waterways: 725 km
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Pipelines: crude oil, 755 km; refined products, 785 km;
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natural gas, 320 km
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Ports: Antofagasta, Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas,
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Valparaiso, San Antonio, Talcahuano, Arica
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Merchant marine: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 485,935
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GRT/800,969 DWT; includes 14 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 3
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roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1
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chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 bulk;
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note--in addition, 2 naval tanker and 2 military transport are sometimes
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used commercially
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Civil air: 22 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 392 total, 353 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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55 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: modern telephone system based on extensive
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radio relay facilities; 768,000 telephones; stations--159 AM, no FM,
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131 TV, 11 shortwave; satellite stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3
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domestic
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army of the Nation, National Navy (including Naval Air
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and Marines), Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros of Chile (National
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Police)
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 3,544,962; 2,647,148 fit for
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military service; 119,511 reach military age (19) annually
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Defense expenditures: $737 million, 3% of GNP (1991 est.)
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