Figure 5. Easter Island (Isla de Pascua), 1986

A monolith (Moai) on Easter Island
Courtesy Embassy of Chile, Washington

Chile may have a "crazy" geography, but it is also a land of unparalleled beauty, with an incredible variety that has fascinated visitors since the Spanish conquest. Because Chile extends from a point about 625 kilometers north of the Tropic of Capricorn to a point hardly more than 1,400 kilometers north of the Antarctic Circle, within its territory can be found a broad selection of the earth's climates. For this reason, geographically it is possible to speak of several Chiles. The country usually is divided by geographers into five regions: the far north, the near north, central Chile, the south, and the far south. Each has its own characteristic vegetation, fauna, climate, and, despite the omnipresence of both the Andes and the Pacific, its own distinct topography.

Data as of March 1994

NOTE: The information regarding Chile on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Chile Natural Regions information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Chile Natural Regions should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.