Title: Chile Content: Chile (officially called Republic of Chile) is a country on the south-western side of South America. Most people there speak Spanish. Chile, which claims a part of the Antarctic continent, is the longest country on earth. The Atacama Desert, in the north of the country, is the driest place on earth. The average rainfall there is less than per year. The center of Chile, with the two cities Santiago and Valparaíso, has a Mediterranean climate with an average temperature of in January and in July. In the middle of Chile, the country is very good for growing things. There are about 16.9 million people living in Chile in 2009. About 10 million people live in the center of Chile around Valparaíso and Santiago, on about 20% of the total land. Chile is a well- educated country. Only 2.7% are not able to read or write. Some believe that Chile has one of the best school systems in South America. About 95% of Chileans are people with a combination of European descent, mostly Spanish, but also German, English, Italian and Arab people. Around 2% of the population is Native American, but most people have native ancestors. Immigrants are 7% of the population. including Peruvians, Bolivians, Colombians, Haitians, Chinese and Europeans. The majority of people are Roman Catholic (62.8%), but many do not go to church. About 10% are Protestant, and there are some Jews and Muslims as well. The country's official language is Spanish. Chili peppers, first cultivated by Native Americans from other Latin American countries and the United States, did not come from this country, although it has a similar name. Chile's currency is the Chilean peso. ==Geography== thumb|alt=|Parinacota volcano in northern Chile Chile borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. It is over north to south, but only at its widest point east to west. The northern Atacama Desert has great mineral wealth, mostly copper and nitrates. Chile is the largest producer of copper. The Andes Mountains are on the eastern border. Chile controls Easter Island and Sala y Gómez Island, the easternmost islands of Polynesia. ==Animals and plants== thumb|A glacier at Beagle Channel in southern Chile thumb|Juan Fernández Firecrown ===Animals=== Only a few of the many distinctive South American animals are found in Chile. Among the larger mammals are the puma or cougar, the llama- like guanaco and the fox-like chilla. In the forest region, several types of marsupials and a small deer known as the pudu are found. There are many species of small birds, but not most of the larger common Latin American types. Few freshwater fish are from Chile, but North American trout have been successfully introduced into the Andean lakes. The coast of Chile is close to the Humboldt Current, so ocean waters have many fish and other forms of marine life. This in turn supports a rich variety of waterfowl, including several penguins. There are many whales, and six species of seals in the area. ===Fungi=== Just over 3,000 species of fungi are recorded in Chile.Oehrens, E.B. "Flora Fungosa Chilena". Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile, 1980 This number is far from complete. The true total number of fungal species in Chile is likely to be far higher. The generally accepted estimate is that only about 7 percent of all fungi worldwide have so far been discovered.Kirk, P.M., Cannon, P.F., Minter, D.W. and Stalpers, J. "Dictionary of the Fungi". Edn 10. CABI, 2008 ===Plants=== The northernmost coastal and central region is largely empty of vegetation. It is the most close to an absolute desert in the world. On the slopes of the Andes, besides the scattered tola desert brush, grasses are found. The central valley has several species of cacti, the hardy espinos (a kind of acacia tree), the Chilean pine, the southern beeches and the copihue, a red bell-shaped flower that is Chile's national flower. In southern Chile, south of the Biobío River lots of rain has made dense forests of laurels, magnolias, and various species of conifers and beeches, which become smaller and more stunted to the south. The cold temperatures and winds of the extreme south make it impossible for heavy forestation. Grassland is found in Atlantic Chile (in Patagonia). Much of the Chilean plant life is different from that of neighboring Argentina. This shows that the Andean barrier existed during the formation of Chile. ==Regions== Chile is divided into 16 regions. The regions are then divided into provinces. Each province is divided into communes.  ==National symbols== The national flower is the copihue (Lapageria rosea, Chilean bellflower), which grows in the woods of southern Chile. The coat of arms shows the two national animals: the condor (Vultur gryphus, a very large bird that lives in the mountains) and the huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus, an endangered white tail deer). It also has the saying Por la razón o la fuerza (By reason or by force). The flag of Chile has two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red. There is a blue square the same height as the white band. The square has a white five-pointed star in the center. The star is a guide to progress and honor. Blue is for the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled to get independence. == Gallery == File:Mapa administrativo de Chile.png|Administrative Map File:Benjamín Vicuña 02.jpg|Actor Benjamín Vicuña File:Nicolas Massu.jpg|Tennis player Nicolas Massu File:María Elena Swett (Descarado, 2006).jpg|Actress María Elena Swett File:Manuel Pellegrini(2).jpg|Manuel Pellegrini File:Puerto Varas, Chile (10986508514).jpg|Puerto Varas File:Santiago en invierno.jpg|Metropolitan Region File:Renaca4.jpg|Reñaca to central Chile File:Edificios stgo.jpg|Santiago of Chile File:Valdivia.jpg|Valdivia in southern Chile File:Puerto Octay.jpg|Puerto Octay File:Lolol calle Acacias (28174146348).jpg|Lolol ==Related pages== * Chile at the Olympics * Chile national football team * List of rivers of Chile