Chile is a long narrow strip between the Pacific and the Andes, with Peru to the north and Bolivia and Argentina to the east

Background

The National Library's geography article places Chile between the Pacific Ocean and the heights of the Andes at the far south of the American continent, and gives its continental surface as more than 756.626 square kilometres. It gives the continental length as 4.270 kilometres, measured from the border with Peru to Cape Horn, and the average width as 200 kilometres, the figures behind the country's long and narrow shape. Chile's western-most possession is Easter Island, with a surface close to 160 square kilometres, lying 3.780 km from the continental coast. Adding the Antarctic territory of 1.250.000 square kilometres gives a total surface of 2.006.626 square kilometres, which is the basis of what Chile calls its tri-continentality. Chile is bounded to the north by Peru; to the east it meets Bolivia and Argentina along a limit that runs broadly north to south and follows the Andes, watersheds, straight lines and the courses of rivers; to the west lies the Pacific Ocean and to the south the Chilean Antarctic Territory, which extends to the South Pole. Besides the Andes and the coastline, the relief is marked by the intermediate depression, running from the north of the country down to Puerto Montt, and by the coastal range, whose maximum altitude exceeds 2.000 metres in some stretches. Santiago is the capital, and the country is divided into 16 regions, each headed by a Regional Governor elected by direct popular vote, with 56 provinces under Provincial Presidential Delegates appointed by the President and 346 municipalities under an Alcalde and a Municipal Council.