With a surface area of 756.096 square kilometers, Chile has 14.7 million inhabitants, 4.3 million of them concentrated in the capital of the country, Santiago. Politically, Chile is divided in 12 regions, including the Antarctic territory, plus the metropolitan region. The official language of Chile is Spanish , and its currency the Chilean peso . Chile is a mestizo country, of mixed European and indigenous extraction, and the indigenous tradition is still visible in several parts of the country. Chile's literacy rate is one of Latin America's highest.
Chilean people are friendly and hospitable to foreigners.
The economy is strong, and the police are trustworthy. This, together with the incredible beauty of its geography, and the well developed transport system, make this country a very attractive destination for all travellers. Downtown Santiago contains the central offices of the banks and the Government buildings. Commercial businesses are starting to move towards the east of the city, to the comunas of Providencia, Las Condes and Vitacura. Most hotels, commercial, banking and entertainment zones are located in these comunas.