Education
Chile's modern education system had its origins in the mid-19th century. Today, eight years of education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 14. The school system is administered by the national government under the minister of education. The national literacy rate of about 94 percent is one of the highest in Latin America.
In the late 1980s about 2,004,700 students were enrolled in primary schools and some 601,750 in secondary schools. A preschool program is also conducted. Among the institutions of higher education, the University of Chile (1738), a state-operated university in Santiago, is highly respected throughout the world. Other centers of higher learning include the University of Concepción (1919), the Catholic University of Chile (1888), the Catholic University of Valparaíso (1928), and several technical universities. Total enrollment in institutions of higher education in the late 1980s exceeded 233,000.
Chile, republic, southwestern South America, bounded on the north by Peru, on the east by Bolivia and Argentina, and on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean. It has an extreme northern-southern length of approximately 4270 km (about 2650 mi), but its average width is less than 180 km (less than 110 mi). Archipelagoes extend along the southern Chilean coast from Chiloé Island to Cape Horn, the southernmost point of the South American continent. Among these are the Chonos Archipelago, Wellington Island, and the western portion of Tierra del Fuego. Other islands belonging to Chile include the Juan Fernández Islands, Easter Island, and Sala y Gómez, all of which lie in the South Pacific. The country has a total area of 756,626 sq km (292,135 sq mi). Chile also claims a section of Antarctica. The capital and largest city is Santiago (population, 1992, 4,545,784).
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Economy
The Chilean economy has, since the early 20th century, been dominated by the production of copper. Since the 1940s the industrial sector has expanded rapidly, largely due to government efforts at diversification. Today Chile is one of the leading industrial nations in Latin America as well as one of its largest mineral producers. In the 1970s efforts were made to boost the output of the neglected agricultural sector and to reduce the country's dependence on imported food; after a slow-down in the production of major crops in the early 1980s, agricultural output improved later in the decade.
Since the leftist administration was deposed in 1973, the government has played a less dominant role in the economy, and most nationalized companies have been returned to private ownership. In the late 1980s estimated national budget figures included $8.5 billion in revenue and $8.4 billion in expenditure.
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ClimateBecause of its great latitudinal range, Chile has a diversity of climates. In general, temperatures are moderated by oceanic influences.
The northern region is almost entirely desert and is one of the driest areas in the world. Temperatures, however, are moderated by the offshore presence of the cold Peru, or Humboldt, Current. The average temperatures at Antofagasta and Santiago for January are 20.6° C (69° F) and 19.5° C (67° F), respectively. The average for July in Antofagasta is 14° C (57° F), and in Santiago it is 8° C (46° F). Temperatures decrease about 1° C for each 150 m (about 1° F for each 275 ft) of altitude in the Andes. Rainfall increases southward, and the central region experiences a Mediterranean-like climate. Precipitation here is concentrated in the winter months (May to July) and ranges from an annual total of 356 mm (14 in) at Santiago to 12.7 mm (0.5 in) at Antofagasta. Winters here are mild, and summers are relatively cool. The southern region is cooler and experiences year-round rainfall. Precipitation reaches a maximum of about 5080 mm (about 200 in) near the Strait of Magellan. The average annual temperature at Punta Arenas in the far south is 6.1° C (43° F). Strong winds and cyclonic storms are common in the southern region.
List of universities in CHILE
North America
North America
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