Geography and climate

Situated on the western edge of South America, bordered by Peru to the north and Argentina and Bolivia to the east, Chile is notable for its long, very thin shape. It is 4,190km (2,600 miles) long but no more than 185km (115 miles) across at its widest point. The country counts Robinson Crusoe Island and the Pacific Islands among its territories.

Part of the Ring of Fire, Chile has 36 live volcanoes and many thermal hot springs. With several tectonic plate junctions under land and sea, the country is prone to earthquakes, especially in the south, including the largest earthquake ever recorded, the Valdivía quake of 1960. Other tectonic shifts in the past created the colossal Andes mountain range that runs down the eastern edge of the country, and much later were responsible for the destruction of much of the fine colonial architecture that was once found in the capital, Santiago.