Discover Chile
Practical Information, Tips and Tricks for Chile
Upon your arrival at Santiago's modern airport, you will notice that Chile is out to surprise you. The snow covered Andes mountains rise up high right behind the enormous city giving you a notion of the natural wonders this land has to offer. Chile is situated at the very end of the world, but this end sure has breathtaking sights! A legend says that after the creation of the world God scraped the leftovers behind the last mountain range - and here they are: Magnificent volcanoes, misty rainforests, sun-baked deserts and windswept natural grasslands; ice blue glaciers and wild rivers, hot springs and beautiful endless beaches. No other country combines so many contrasts in landscapes and climate zones as Chile. The shape of this country is unique: On average only 180 km wide, but 4300 km long, Chile seems to be cramped between the 7000 m high Cordillera in the East and the Pacific Coast in the West. Compared to North America, Chile would stretch from South California to South Alaska!
Chile is about 750.000 sq.km large, and as such more than twice the size of Montana or twice as big as Germany, but it has only 19.5 million inhabitants and most of them reside in the fertile Central Zone. Wide parts of the country, the deserts in the North as well as the Andes highlands and the fjord district of Patagonia are only scarcely populated. It is the perfect destination for travelers who want to enjoy natural beauty in peace and tranquility. Because of its location or rather thanks to its far-end position Chile still has not experienced mass tourism.
| Area | 756,626 sq.km |
| Population | 19,5 million |
| Population density | 26 residents/sq.km |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) | approx. 344,4 billion USD (2023) |
| GDP per capita | approx. 30.000 USD per year (PPP, 2023) |
| Unemployment rate | about 8% (2023) |
| Life expectancy | 81 years |
Our compact Chile guide wants to intrigue you to learn more about this country and we provide all those who plan to stay longer than for vacation with background information including tips and tricks. It is easy to find plentiful information about tourist attractions elsewhere on the internet (please also see our list of links). Instead, we focus on Santiago and its surroundings and offer useful tips for a long-term stay.
