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Republic Of Chile
“Por la razón o la fuerza”
“By right or might”
Geography and Neighbors
 The longest north-south trending country in the world
 Slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
 38th largest country in the world in terms of area.
 Borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the north east
and Argentina to the east
People
 Population: about 17.300,000
 White and non-indigenous 88.9%
 Mapuche 9.1%
 Aymara 0.7%
 other indigenous groups 1%
 Due in part to its economic fortunes, Chile has recently become a new
magnet for immigrants, mostly from neighboring Argentina, Bolivia and
mainly Peru
Healthcare
 Health Expenditures make up 7.5 % of Chile’s GDP
 Chileans have a life expectancy of 78 years ( 75 for males, 81 for females)
 Chile’s life expectancy is the highest in Latin America and 34th in the world
 All workers and pensioners are mandated to pay 7% of income for health
insurance
Education
 4.5% of the GDP is spent on education
 Chile has a 98.6% literacy rate
 Primary and secondary schools are mandatory for all Chileans.
 Chile as of 2014 is undergoing a significant reform to its publicly funded
education system. One of the first proposals sent to Congress include the
banning of mandatory copayments, the removal of existing selection
processes and the conversion of for-profit schools into non-profit
organizations
Political Parties
 Independent Democratic Union (20.74% weighted representation)
 Christian Democratic Party (16.18% weighted representation)
 National Renewal (14.78% weighted representation)
 Party for Democracy (14.33% weighted representation)
 Socialist Party (1.69 weighted representation)
Executive Branch
 Current President is Michelle Bachelet who is a member of the Socialist
Party
 president elected by popular vote
 Under the current Constitution (adopted in the 1980), the President is
elected to serve for a period of four years, with immediate re-election
being prohibited
Legislative Branch
 Bicameral National Congress consists of the Senate and Chamber of
Deputies which reward coalition slates.
 Senate positions are decided by popular vote to serve for 8 years
 Senate consists of 38 seats
 Chamber of Deputies are decided by popular vote to serve for 4 years
 Chamber of Deputies consists of 120 seats
Judicial Branch
 Chile's judiciary is independent and includes a court of appeal, a system of
military courts, a constitutional tribunal, and the Supreme Court.
 Supreme court judges appointed by the President and ratified by the
Senate.
 Legal system is civil law based.
Economy
 Chile is one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations,leading
Latin American nations in human development, competitiveness, income
per capita, globalization, economic freedom, and low perception of
corruption
 GDP $335.4 Billion, 6th highest in South America
 GDP per capita: $19,100 73rd in the world
 GDP Composition: agriculture: 3.6% industry: 35.4% services: 61%
 Unemployment Rate: 6% 62nd in the world
 Population Below the Poverty Line: 15.1%
 Taxes and Other Revenues: 20.8% 156th in the world
Imports/Exports
 Imports 75.7 billion (40th)
 Import petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and
telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas
 Import Partners: US 22.9%, China 18.2%, Argentina 6.6%, Brazil 6.5%
 Exports 77.94 billion (46th)
 Export copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine
 Export Partners: China 23.3%, US 12.3%, Japan 10.7%, South Korea 5.8%,
Brazil 5.5%