Country Fact File

The facts and figures

• Capital: Santiago
• Population: 17 million
• Currency: Chilean Peso (CLP)
• Time Zone: GMT - 4
• International dialling code: +56
• Languages: Spanish

The Fun stuff

• Read
  • Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
  • Against the Wall by Simon Yates
  • My Invented Country by Isabel Allende

• Do
  • Climb up to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal: This hill towers 300m above Santiago and offers amazing panoramic views of the city and the Andes beyond. At its peak is a church with a 22 meter high statue of the Virgin Mary, which is one of the most recognized landmarks in Chile.
  • Hike in the National Parks: Chile is home to some of the worlds most beautiful and serene National Parks such as the famous Torres del Paine, dominated by the 2000m high granite stone pillars and full of azure lakes, winding trails through emerald forests and racing rivers. However, much of Chile’s protected land remains wild and unexplored and so for the adventurous hiker solitude is easy to find.

• Eat
  • Humitas - mashed corn with spices and chopped onion, wrapped in corn husks and steamed; preferably topped with sugar.
  • Empanadas - a stuffed bread or pastry which has been baked or fried

• Cost of a beer: £1.49 (1,171 CLP) approx.

• Did you know?
  • Chile is 4,300 kilometers long but only 175 kilometers wide
  • There are 2,000 volvanoes in Chile, 50 of which are active
  • Chile is the world’s sixth largest exporter of wines. It’s biggest export is copper, in fact over 1/5 of the world’s copper is produced in Chile
  • Northern Chile is home to the world’s driest desert: The Atacama
  • The national sport of Chile is football
  • The first woman president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet Jeria was elected in 2006

• Useful links:
  • Lonely Planet
  • www.chiletourism.net
  • www.visitchile.com
  • FCO’s Locate Service