Welcome to the page of the Official Visit to Chile

As one of the more stable and developed countries in Latin America, Chile has clocked, until recently, some of the highest rates of economic growth in the area, but has lately been facing challenges due to the need to diversify an economy much dependent from copper – it is the world’s largest producer – and to resolve the imbalances of the distribution of wealth among its 16 million inhabitants.

With an open economy, in which investments and domestic demand have had a sustained increase, the dynamics of its export activity and a proactive policy of commercial integration through trade agreements with more than 60 countries, have induced average growth rates of 6% in the last few years.

In 2006, Chile signed trade agreements with China and India, and also established arrangements with Mercosul and the European Union.

The country endeavours to attract large scale foreign direct investment, the greatest part of this directed towards gas, electric power, and water and mining exploration.

Chile was declared independent in 1818 and its first National Congress created eight years previously when an autonomous republic was proclaimed within the Spanish monarchy, thus converting the country into one of the oldest democracies in America.

The design of the country, similar to a 4,300 km long and 175 km wide tape, provided it with extremely varied climatic conditions, from the most arid desert in the world – Atacama, in the north - , through a Mediterranean environment in the centre, to an Alps like climate in the south, with permanent snows in the highlands, glaciers, fjords and lakes.

The capital, Santiago, is the main political, economic and cultural centre of the country. It was founded in 1541 by the Spanish explorer Pedro de Valdivia and has a population of approximately six million.

Located in a valley formed by the Andes mountain range – with peaks covered by eternal snows – with heights at times of 6,000 meters, and crossed by the Mapocho and Maipo rivers, Santiago is situated at a height of more than 500 meters and is 100 km away from the Pacific coast.