The Republic of Chile is located in the southwest portion of the continent of South
America. It is bounded on the north by Peru, on the west by the South Pacific Ocean, on the east by Bolivia and Argentina, and on the south by the South Pole. It has an area of 291,930 square miles, and in comparative size is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Montana. Easter Island and a portion of Antarctica are Chilean possessions.
The government is a republic, having three branches. The Executive Branch is composed of the President and the Cabinet, which is appointed by the President. The Legislative branch has a bicameral National Congress consisting of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The Judicial Branch consists of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Tribunal. The capital of the country is Santiago.
The country won its independence from Spain on 18 September 1810. The current northern border was established in 1884, as a result of the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) with Peru and Bolivia. Boundary disputes with these two countries have been recently reactivated by Bolivia and Peru.
The official language is Spanish.
The population is 16,284,741 (estimated as of July 2007). The population is primarily of European and mestizo (mixed European and indigenous Amerindian ancestry) descent. The dominant religion is Roman Catholic (89 percent), with Protestant 11 percent and Jewish 0.1 percent.
The currency is the Chilean Peso.
The most popular sport is soccer ("futbol").
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