C H I L E

          This is a geographically diverse land, where you can experience the blistering heat of the Atacama Desert and chilling Patagonian winds, as well as beaches, lakes, mountains, and city delights.

          Squeezed between the Andes and the Pacific, never more than 110 miles wide, this spaghetti-like strip of land extends over 2,700 miles of coastline. Within its borders are the world's driest desert, lush expanses of forest and a spectacular array of glaciers and fiords. Stretched directly along the Pacific "ring of fire", Chile also has some 2.085 volcanoes, of which 55 are active. In parts of the country, earth tremors are an almost weekly occurrence.
          In the north of the country is the arid and mysterious Atacama desert, rising to more than 14,760ft above sea level as it meets the Bolivian altiplano. The northwest coast is distinguished by a range of expansive Pacific beaches and resorts. Chile's eastern boundary runs along the Cordillera de los Andes, which provides a mountain setting for Santiago, the capital city, placed right in the middle of the strip. South of Santiago the land becomes cooler, greener and more "alpine". Chile's Lake District has 12 great lakes and most the country's active volcanoes. Further south, the coastline breaks up into islands, the largest being Chiloé, a rainy location steeped in regional folklore. In the far south of the country lie the remote territories of Chilean Patagonia, the glaciers and mountains of Torres Del Pine National Park, and the subartic regions of Tierra Del Fuego.
          The wild geography hasn't stopped Chile from becoming one of the continent's most developed nations. Travelers are often surprised the efficiency of Chile's banking system, public transport, and services, though beneath the affluent surface are social and economic imbalances waiting to be redressed.
          Chileans are renowned among Latin Americans for an unusual creative flair: Chilean folk musicians, poets, painters, and theater groups are followed in every country on the continent. Their reputation for legalizing (new laws are hawked in the streets of Santiago alongside chocolates and newspapers) and business acumen has earned Chileans the somewhat facetious label as "the English of South America".
          The traditional hospitality of Chileans, noted by travelers from the 18th century on, is even more evident today. After years of dictatorship, Chileans have welcomed the influx of foreigners as a sign of support for their democracy.

...for more on Chile check at Links on the right