54 Facts About Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in South America. 

Chile has an area of 756,102 square km. 

Santiago is the capital and largest city of Chile. 

Spanish is national language and Peso (CLP) is official currency of Chile. 

Chile's three bordering countries are Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia.

Chile is the world's longest country from north to south, measuring 2,653 miles.

The first European to set foot on what is now Chile was Ferdinand Magellan. During his attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1520, he visited the land.

Monte Verde is the Americas' oldest known human habitation site. The widely accepted date for Monte Verde's early occupation is 16,500 B.C.

In 2007, 16,000 fireworks were detonated in the Chilean city of Valparaiso. This still holds the Guinness World Record.

Chile, with 100 wineries, is the world's fifth-largest wine exporter.

In Chile, husbands and wives do not share a common last name. Wives continue to use their maiden names. Brothers and sisters are the only people who use common last names for their male and female counterparts.

When greeting or departing, men and women exchange cheek kisses, as do women. Both people gently touch cheeks and send kisses into the air. Handshakes are exchanged between men.

Out of politeness, Chileans frequently reserve strong opinions. Rapidly expressing an opinion is frowned upon.

Chile has one of the world's lowest divorce rates. Divorce was only made legal in 2005.

Chile's national drink is pisco. It is produced in the country and is made from a variety of ingredients. Pisco sour, the most popular version of the national drink, is made with lemon juice, ice, sugar, and beaten egg whites.

Chile is home to a variety of endangered candelabra cactus that can grow to heights of up to 5 m. More than 20 different types of cacti and succulents can be found in the country.

More than half of the country's plants and animals are unique to the planet. More than 2,500 of its 5,100 species of flora and fauna are endemic.

Chile is also home to the world's driest desert, the Atacama. This location has not seen a single drop of rain since records began.

Cerro Tololo is also home to the world's largest anthropomorphic figure (119 m high).

Chile hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1962, and tennis is the country's most successful sport.

Fernando Gonzalez is a well-known Chilean tennis player.

Since 1967, every public building must display the Chilean flag in proper condition. Failure to comply with the regulation can result in fines of up to 40,000 pesos.

Chile's Biblioteca Nacional (National Library) is the largest national library of a Spanish-speaking country outside of Spain, with 1.8 million volumes.

Many of Chile's more than 1300 volcanoes are capable of erupting.

In Chile's southern region, 4000-year-old trees can be found. They are mostly Alerce tree species, which live extremely long lives.

Chile experienced the world's largest earthquake, measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale, in 1900. The disaster killed over 1500 people and displaced 2000 others.

Chile was struck by another earthquake in 2010, this time with a magnitude of 8.8. However, only a few people were killed. However, the natural disaster displaced at least 1.5 million people.

Puerto Williams in Chile is the world's southernmost village.

Lake Chungara in Chile is one of the highest lakes above sea level (4520 m). It is the world's 31st highest lake.

Chile is an ideal location for astronomical observations. Astrologers from all over the world visit the country to make observations because the Norte Grande region of Chile has over 300 nights of clear weather.

Chile declared independence from Spain on September 18, 1810.

The collapse of the San Jose mine in Chile in August 2010 trapped 33 miners 2000 feet underground.

Chileans call their country "the country of poets." They have two Nobel Prize winners in literature: Gabriela Mistral (pictured on 5,000 peso bank notes) and Pablo Neruda (pictured on 5,000 peso bank notes).

Chile has the world's largest swimming pool. It measures 1000 yards long, 20 acres in size, and is 115 feet deep. This massive pool can hold 66 million gallons of seawater. This was not a cheap pool to construct. It took five years and one billion dollars to complete, and the annual maintenance cost is close to two million dollars.

Penguins can be found in Chile as well as Antarctica. 'Humboldt Penguins' can be seen on Chile's north coast, with nearly 12,000 breeding pairs in the country.

Chile's coastline is one of the world's longest, stretching 6435 kilometres. It's also one of the world's narrowest, with a width of just over 200 kilometres.

Chile is home to the world's oldest mummy. In 5050 BC, a 'Chinchorro mummy' was discovered in the Camarones Valley. There have been 282 such mummies discovered in the country to date.

The 'Moon Valley' is the area between the cities of Calama and San Pedro de Atacama. It is so named because it closely resembles the 'lunar landscape'.

Chile has almost no poisonous snakes. Chile has only two snake species, both of which are small and relatively harmless.

Chile is the world's second largest producer of salmon after Norway. In Chile, nearly 60 Norwegian companies have established themselves.

Numerous UFOs have reportedly been spotted in Chile. The government also funds UFO research.

Chile has one of the world's highest rates of working hours.

Employers and employees are required to sign a working contract within the first 15 days of employment or face a fine.

Employers in Chile also have the authority to fire their employees without notice or justification.

Employees in Chile have the right to a rest period from 9 p.m. on Saturdays to 6 a.m. on Mondays.

Michael Jackson visited Chile for the first and only time in his life on October 18, 1993.

Chile is one of the world's largest copper producers.

Santiago is one of Latin America's safest large cities.

Chile, after Canada, has the lowest homicide rate in the Americas.

Scientists made an extraordinary discovery of a hidden whale nursery in Chile in 2003. There was a specific location where whales congregated in large numbers to rear their young and feed. The blue whale is the world's largest mammal and is on the verge of extinction due to global commercial whaling activities.

Chile declared a permanent ban on whaling in its waters in 2008.

Chile is home to the smallest member of the camelid family, the vicuna. It has a long neck, thin legs, and long, silky fur on its body. It has a reddish-brown upperside and a white underside.

The Chilean flamingo has a tall, large body, a long neck, and a small head. All flamingos eat with their bills turned upside down. Their stunning pink plumage is a result of the carotenoid pigments they consume as part of their diet. Their upper bill is significantly shorter than their lower bill. It's worth noting here that their fossil records date back 10,000 years.

Chile is home to the Pudu, the world's smallest deer.