country comparison to the world: 140
Budget:
revenues: $2.324 billion
expenditures: $1.91 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.3% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4.75% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 82
5.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 42
15% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$874.5 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$55.23 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$82.81 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca);
cattle, sheep, goats, camels
Industries:
oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, brewing, natron (sodium
carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
Electricity - production:
100 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
Electricity - consumption:
93 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
127,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
Oil - exports:
157,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
Oil - imports:
1,571 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
Oil - proved reserves:
1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 201
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 195
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Current account balance:
-$1.019 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
-$737.8 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$4.342 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116
$3.674 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
oil, cattle, cotton, gum arabic
Exports - partners:
US 92.8%, Japan 2.2%, France 1.5% (2008)
Imports:
$1.927 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
$1.541 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods,
foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners:
France 17.5%, Cameroon 14.8%, China 9.8%, Ukraine 9.5%, US 7.7%,
Germany 5.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, Netherlands 4% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.347 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
$964.4 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.6 billion (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$4.5 billion (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.), 480.1 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47
(2005), 528.29 (2004)
note: since 1 January 1999, the Central African CFA franc (XAF) has
been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro;
Central African CFA franc (XAF) coins and banknotes are not accepted
in countries using West African CFA francs (XOF), and vice versa,
even though the two currencies trade at par
Communications ::Chad
Telephones - main lines in use:
13,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 199
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.809 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 124
Telephone system:
general assessment: primitive system with high costs and low
telephone density; fixed-line connections for only about 1 per 1000
persons coupled with mobile-cellular subscribership base of less
than 20 per 100 persons
domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)
Internet country code:
.td
Internet hosts:
5 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 225
Internet users:
130,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 144
Transportation ::Chad
Airports:
54 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 86
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 46
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 11 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 250 km (2008)
Roadways:
total: 33,400 km
country comparison to the world: 95
paved: 267 km
unpaved: 33,133 km (2002)
Waterways:
Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2008)
Military ::Chad
Military branches:
Armed Forces: Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT),
Chadian Air Force (Force Aerienne Tchadienne, FAT), Gendarmerie
(2008)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for conscripts, with 3-year service obligation; 18
years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for
volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to 1 year
of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,906,545
females age 16-49: 2,258,758 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,103,006
females age 16-49: 1,315,620 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 121,080
female: 121,585 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
4.2% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 27
Transnational Issues ::Chad
Disputes - international:
since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military have
driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents into Chad; Chad
remains an important mediator in the Sudanese civil conflict,
reducing tensions with Sudan arising from cross-border banditry;
Chadian Aozou rebels reside in southern Libya; only Nigeria and
Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify
the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and
Niger-Nigeria boundaries
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan); 54,200 (Central
African Republic)
IDPs: 178,918 (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Chad is a source, transit, and destination
country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and
commercial sexual exploitation; the majority of children are
trafficked within Chad for involuntary domestic servitude, forced
cattle herding, forced begging, forced labor in petty commerce or
the fishing industry, or for commercial sexual exploitation; to a
lesser extent, Chadian children are also trafficked to Cameroon, the
Central African Republic, and Nigeria for cattle herding; children
may also be trafficked from Cameroon and the Central African
Republic to Chad's oil producing regions for sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Chad is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat
human trafficking in 2007; Chad was destabilized during 2007 by
civil conflict leading to a declared state of emergency in February
2008, and a steady influx of refugees fleeing Sudan and the Central
African Republic; the government demonstrated insufficient overall
efforts to combat trafficking; Chad has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP
Protocol (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Chile (South America)
Introduction ::Chile
Background:
Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern
Chile was under Inca rule while the indigenous Mapuche inhabited
central and southern Chile. Although Chile declared its independence
in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until
1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and
Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the
1880s that the Mapuche Indians were completely subjugated. After a
series of elected governments, a three-year-old Marxist government
of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by
Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was
installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently
since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty
rates by over half, and have helped secure the country's commitment
to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly
assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its
status as a stable, democratic nation.
Geography ::Chile
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between
Argentina and Peru
Geographic coordinates:
30 00 S, 71 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 756,102 sq km
country comparison to the world: 38
land: 743,812 sq km
water: 12,290 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
Land boundaries:
total: 6,339 km
border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km
Coastline:
6,435 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200/350 nm
Climate:
temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool
and damp in south
Terrain:
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m
Natural resources:
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum,
hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 2.62%
permanent crops: 0.43%
other: 96.95% (2005)
Irrigated land:
19,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
922 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 12.55 cu km/yr (11%/25%/64%)
per capita: 770 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
Environment - current issues:
widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air
pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution
from raw sewage
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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
People ::Chile
Population:
16,601,707 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.2% (male 1,966,017/female 1,877,963)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,625,963/female 5,628,146)
65 years and over: 9.1% (male 627,746/female 875,872) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 31.4 years
male: 30.4 years
female: 32.4 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.881% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
Birth rate:
14.64 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
Death rate:
5.84 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 88% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.71 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 164
male: 8.49 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.34 years
country comparison to the world: 56
male: 74.07 years
female: 80.77 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.92 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.3% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
31,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
Nationality:
noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean
Ethnic groups:
white and white-Amerindian 95.4%, Mapuche 4%, other indigenous
groups 0.6% (2002 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other
Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census)
Languages:
Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.7%
male: 95.8%
female: 95.6% (2002 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 14 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
3.2% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 141
Government ::Chile
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Chile
conventional short form: Chile
local long form: Republica de Chile
local short form: Chile
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Santiago
geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends
second Sunday in March
Administrative divisions:
15 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos
Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Arica y Parinacota,
Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins,
Los Lagos, Los Rios, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule,
Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence:
18 September 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Constitution:
11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991,
1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005
Legal system:
based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes
influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of
its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March
2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11
March 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year
term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held
15 January 2006 (next to be held in December 2009)
election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent
of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique
46.5%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the
Senate or Senado (38 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
eight-year terms; one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber
of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held in
December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005
(next to be held in December 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8),
independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI
34, RN 20), independent 1; note - as of 8 January 2008: Senate -
seats by party - CPD 18, (PDC 5, PS 8, PPD 2, PRSD 3), APC 16 (UDI
9, RN 7), independent 4; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - CPD
57 (PDC 16, PPD 19, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 53 (UDI 33, RN 20),
independent 10.
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the
president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates
provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is
elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional
Tribunal (eight-members - two each from the Senate, Chamber of
Deputies, Supreme Court, and National Security Council - review the
constitutionality of laws approved by Congress)
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Chile (Alianza) or APC (including National Renewal or
RN [Carlos LARRAIN Pena] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI
[Juan Antonio COLOMA Correa]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy
(Concertacion) or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC
[Juan Carlos LATORRE Carmona], Socialist Party or PS [Camilo
ESCALONA Medina], Party for Democracy or PPD [Pepe AUTH Stewart],
and Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ
Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER del Valle];
Humanist Party [Marilen CABRERA Olmos]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Roman Catholic Church, particularly conservative groups such as Opus
Dei; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the
country's five largest labor confederations
other: revitalized university student federations at all major
universities
International organization participation:
APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES,
LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OECD
(accession state), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, SICA (observer), UN,
UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNTSO,
UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Maria GONI Carrasco
chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 785-1746
FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul E. SIMONS
embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago
mailing address: APO AA 34033
telephone: [56] (2) 330-3000
FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710, 330-3160
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; a blue square the
same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white
band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center
representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky,
white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red represents the blood
spilled to achieve independence
note: design was influenced by the US flag
Economy ::Chile
Economy - overview:
Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of
foreign trade and a reputation for strong financial institutions and
sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating
in South America. Exports account for 40% of GDP, with commodities
making up some three-quarters of total exports. Copper alone
provides one-third of government revenue. During the early 1990s,
Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was
strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN -
which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic
reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP
averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998
because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current
account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the
latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought
exacerbated the situation in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing
hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile
experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than
15 years. In the years since then, growth has averaged 4% per year.
Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization
with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took
effect on 1 January 2004. Chile claims to have more bilateral or
regional trade agreements than any other country. It has 57 such
agreements (not all of them full free trade agreements), including
with the European Union, Mercosur, China, India, South Korea, and
Mexico. Over the past five years, foreign direct investment inflows
have quadrupled to some $17 billion in 2008. The Chilean government
conducts a rule-based countercyclical fiscal policy, accumulating
surpluses in sovereign wealth funds during periods of high copper
prices and economic growth, and allowing deficit spending only
during periods of low copper prices and growth. As of September
2008, those sovereign wealth funds - kept mostly outside the country
and separate from Central Bank reserves - amounted to more than $20
billion.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$245.1 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
$237.5 billion (2007 est.)
$226.8 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$169.5 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
4.7% (2007 est.)
4.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$14,900 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
$14,600 (2007 est.)
$14,000 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.8%
industry: 50.5%
services: 44.7% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
7.267 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 13.2%
industry: 23%
services: 63.9% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
7.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
7% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
18.2% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 41.7% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
54.9 (2003)
country comparison to the world: 14
57.1 (2000)
Investment (gross fixed):
24% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Budget:
revenues: $44.79 billion
expenditures: $35.09 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
5.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
12.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.7% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
4.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
8.25% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 73
6% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
13.26% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 98
8.67% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$14.72 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 39
$16.6 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$73.66 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 25
$80.42 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$116.4 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 35
$127.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares: