Map references: South America
Area:
total area: 756,950 sq km
land area: 748,800 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
note: includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Land boundaries: total 6,171 km, Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km,
Peru 160 km
Coastline: 6,435 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is indefinite; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims
Climate: temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south
Terrain: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes
in east
Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious
metals, molybdenum
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 16% forest and woodland: 21% other: 56%