Irrigated land: 12,650 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
Environment - current issues: air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation contributing to loss of biodiversity; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake
Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions
@Chile:People
Population: 14,508,158 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28% (male 2,057,633; female 2,031,588) 15-64 years: 65% (male 4,684,158; female 4,734,170) 65 years and over: 7% (male 416,047; female 584,562) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.18% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 17.53 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)