Chile is a country located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in western South America. Although its location is remote and its shape is strange, Chile is by no means a poor and weak country. It has successfully jumped out of the "middle-income trap" and become the most developed country in South America. This cannot but be said to be a "miracle". Let’s take a look at this different South American country.
Geographical location:
Chile is located in the southwest of South America, at the western foothills of the Andes Mountains. It borders Argentina to the east, Peru, Bolivia to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Antarctica to the south across the sea. Chile is the longest and narrowest country in the world, with a length of 4,270 kilometers from north to south, and an average width of only 180 kilometers from east to west. It is located in South America, where tropical rainforests are widespread. It has a long coastline and the Atacama Desert, known as the "world's driest extreme." Its land area is 756,715 square kilometers.
As of July 2022, Chile has a population of approximately 19.252 million people, ranking 62nd among countries in the world and sixth in South America. Among them, the population density of Chile in 2022 is 25.3 people/km². The population density is small, and most of the population lives in cities: especially Santiago, the capital of Chile, with a population of more than 6.8 million, reaching 6.857 million, accounting for about one-third of the total population.
Historical development:
Like most countries in the American continent, the early humans in Chile were Indians , mainly Araucans, Mapuches , and Fuegians. In the 16th century, the Spanish came here and Chile became a Spanish colony. On September 18, 1810, the native white people of San Diego overthrew the colonial power and established an independent government. After Chile became independent, the country's development was accompanied by struggles among stakeholders such as the landlord class, , the Catholic Church, the peasant class, British and American capital, and the working class, gradually forming three major factions: the left, the center, and the right.
After decades of chaos and military dictatorship, in 1990, Chile's first democratically elected president, Patricio Irvine, put forward a slogan that moved the hearts of the Chilean people: "Chile for all" in his inauguration speech. Chile has entered an era in which Western democracies function normally.
Economic Basics:
Chile is one of the more economically developed countries in Latin America. Mining, forestry, fishery and agriculture are the four pillars of the national economy. In 2021, Chile's GDP total was as high as 317.1 billion U.S. dollars, per capita GDP was as high as 16,500 U.S. dollars, approximately RMB 111,752, which is a little higher than China, ranking second in South America.
Chile has implemented a unitary presidential system. Since the military "returned power to the people" in 1989, the political situation has remained stable, the government has changed in an orderly manner, the continuity of economic policies and various laws is very stable, and the social governance arrangement is at the forefront of Latin American countries. In addition, some scholars who study Chile believe that more thorough market-oriented policies are one of the important reasons why Chile has successfully escaped the curse of Latin America's middle-income trap..
Chile is the "kingdom of copper mines" , the country with the richest copper resources, and the country that produces and exports the most copper in the world. Copper mine output accounts for 50% of the world. Chile is also the only country in the world that produces natural saltpeter, and its reserves are rich , The saltpeter mine belt is more than 750 kilometers long and 25 to 30 kilometers wide. Saltpeter is a natural raw material for refining nitrogen, potassium, sodium, sulfur and other fertilizers and iodine elements. It is also an essential raw material for the military industry.
Chile is also the world's largest lithium ore country. Its proven lithium ore reserves account for 17.8% of the world's lithium ore reserves, and its output is second only to Australia, ranking second in the world. Chile also has iron, coal, lead, zinc, manganese, mercury and petroleum mineral deposits. The grade of iron ore is very high, second only to Australia.
Because of its special country shape, Chile spans 38 latitudes of sea and is covered with extremely rich marine resources. This long and narrow country has 4,300 kilometers of coastline and a wide variety of seafood markets. Chile’s seafood export industry is also quite developed in South America.Chile's fishing and marine industries are very successful, producing some of the highest quality seafood, and Chile's fish is mainly exported to European countries.
Chile's agricultural development is also very good. The "National Fruit Cultivation Plan" was implemented in 1966. After 55 years of development, fruits and vegetables account for more than 70% of the total export volume of agricultural products, and the number of fruit exports accounts for 14% of the world's total, making it a veritable major fruit producer. According to data from the Chilean Fruit Export Federation, as of early February 2020, fresh fruit exports had increased by 28.9% year-on-year, with cherries accounting for 41.3% of the total fruit volume and blueberries accounting for 11.6%.
Geopolitics:
Because of the special country form, Chile also has a special geopolitics, especially in the South American Pacific War of the 19th century, Chile defeated two neighboring countries, Peru and Bolivia, with one against two. Not only did they seize the world's largest saltpeter producing area, they also turned Bolivia into a landlocked country.
The steep Andes Mountains separate Chile and Argentina. Cutting off a few mountain passes can basically cut off the land connection between the two countries. Between the Andes and the coastal mountains on the west coast, there are several fertile river valleys scattered here and there. The products are rich enough to support the survival of a regime, because Chile and Argentina have been in peace for a long time.
Only as it expanded further to the south, the territorial conflict between Chile and Argentina gradually became more prominent and entered a fever pitch. Especially the competition for the shipping route Strait of Magellan almost triggered a war between the two countries. In 1881, Chile and Argentina established a rough territorial demarcation through a border agreement, preventing the two countries from heading towards a full-scale war.
