Chile

General Data

Nature

Culture

Geographic Areas

Chile is one of the most austral countries of the world, situated along the west shore of the southamerican cone. Spanning along an extensive latitudinal range (18° - 56°), the country hosts a great variation of landscapes and climates. From the driest desert in the world to the unique temperate rainforest, to the breathtaking steppes of Patagonia, this diversity of habitats gives life to a unique flora & fauna.

Thanks to its natural barriers, Chile is considered as a biogeographical island. Thus, the evolution process has originated a high number of endemic species - that is to say, species that live in this part of the world and nowhere else. For instance, in the temperate rainforest, 76% of amphibians, 50% of fish, 33% of mammals, 30% of birds, and 23% of reptiles are endemic to the region.

Chile can be divided in three macro-regions: North, Center, and South. The North corresponds to the driest area of the country: it is there where stands the famous Atacama desert and the Altiplanic Highlands.

Parinacota Volcano and Chungará Lake

The Central region is dominated by an extremely pleasant mediterranean climate, and even in the surroundings of Santiago, the heavily populated capital, it is possible to observe Andean biota or go west and discover the coasts of the Pacific ocean. It is there where the geologically young Andean Chain reaches its highest point, the Aconcagua, which is the highest mountain in South America, reaching some 6910 mts above the Pacific ocean.

Andean north- facing slope

Last but not least, there's the Southern Zone, where the temperate rainforests and Patagonian steppes are located. There can be found the most ancient forests in the world : in the larch forests, "alerces" (Fitzroya cupressoides) can live up to 3,000 years.