Editing Chile (section)

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Chile}}
{{See also|Natural regions of Chile|Environmental issues in Chile}}

{{Annotated image|float=right|caption=Natural regions of Chile|image=Natural Regions of Chile.svg|width=150|image-width=150|image-left=0|image-top=0|annotations=
{{Annotation|70|30|'''[[Norte Grande]]'''}}
{{Annotation|57|85|'''[[Norte Chico, Chile|Norte<br />Chico]]'''}}
{{Annotation|40|130|'''[[Central Chile|Central<br />Zone]]'''}}
{{Annotation|35|175|'''[[Zona Sur|Southern<br />Zone]]'''}}
{{Annotation|7|295|'''[[Austral Zone]]'''}}
}}
A long and narrow coastal [[Southern Cone]] country on the west side of the [[Andes Mountains]], Chile stretches over {{convert|4300|km|-1|abbr=on}} north to south, but only {{convert|350|km|0|abbr=on}} at its widest point east to west<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111326/Chile |title=Chile |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=7 May 2013 |archive-date=16 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616190930/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/111326/Chile |url-status=live }}</ref> and {{convert|64|km|0|abbr=on}} at its narrowest point east to west, with an average width of {{convert|175|km|0|abbr=on}}. This encompasses a large variety of climates and landscapes. It contains {{convert|756950|km2|sp=us}} of land area. It is situated within the [[Pacific Ring of Fire]]. Excluding its Pacific islands and Antarctic claim, Chile lies between latitudes [[17th parallel south|17°]] and [[56th parallel south|56°S]], and longitudes [[66th meridian west|66°]] and [[75th meridian west|75°W]].

Chile is among the longest north–south countries in the world. If one considers only mainland territory, Chile is unique within this group in its narrowness from east to west, with the other long north–south countries (including Brazil, Russia, Canada, and the United States, among others) all being wider from east to west by a factor of more than 10. Chile also claims {{convert|1250000|km2|abbr=on}} of [[Antarctica]] as part of its territory ([[Chilean Antarctic Territory]]). However, this latter claim is suspended under the terms of the [[Antarctic Treaty]], of which Chile is a signatory.<ref>{{cite web|title=Antarctic Treaty: Information about the Antarctic Treaty and how Antarctica is governed. |publisher=Polar Conservation Organisation |date=1 February 2008 |url=http://www.polarconservation.org/education/plonearticle.2005-12-28.3597747204/ |access-date=11 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210224459/http://www.polarconservation.org/education/plonearticle.2005-12-28.3597747204 |archive-date=10 February 2010 }}</ref> It is the world's southernmost country that is geographically on the mainland.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Collin|first1=Robert|title=Trash Talk: An Encyclopedia of Garbage and Recycling around the World|date=2015|page=121}}</ref>

Chile controls [[Easter Island]] and [[Sala y Gómez]] Island, the easternmost islands of Polynesia, which it incorporated to its territory in 1888, and the [[Juan Fernández Islands]], more than {{convert|600|km|abbr=on}} from the mainland. Also controlled but only temporarily inhabited (by some local fishermen) are the small islands of [[Desventuradas Islands|San Ambrosio and San Felix]]. These islands are notable because they extend Chile's claim to territorial waters out from its coast into the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{cite book|last=Blanco|first=Alejandro Vergara|title=Derecho de aguas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4o3G0FyArtAC|access-date=14 July 2013|year=1998|publisher=Editorial Jurídica de Chile|isbn=978-956-10-1241-7|archive-date=29 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129020150/https://books.google.com/books?id=4o3G0FyArtAC|url-status=live}}</ref>

The northern [[Atacama Desert]] contains great mineral wealth, primarily [[Copper#Production|copper]] and [[Caliche (mineral)#Chilean caliche|nitrate]]s. The relatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources. This area is also the historical center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century when it integrated the northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests, grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border.

=== Topography ===
[[File:Chile topo en.jpg|thumbnail|upright|Topographic map of Chile]]

Chile is located along a highly [[seismic]] and [[volcanic]] zone, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, due to the subduction of the [[Nazca Plate|Nazca]] and Antarctic plates in the [[South American Plate]]. In the late [[Paleozoic]], 251 million years ago, Chile belonged to the continental block called [[Gondwana]]. It was just a depression that accumulated marine sediments began to rise at the end of the Mesozoic, 66 million years ago, due to the collision between the Nazca Plate and South American Plate, resulting in the Andes. The territory would be shaped over millions of years by the folding of the rocks, forming the current relief.

The Chilean relief consists of the central depression, which crosses the country longitudinally, flanked by two mountain ranges that make up about 80% of the territory: the Andes mountains to the east-natural border with [[Bolivia]] and [[Argentina]] in the [[Atacama Region|region of Atacama]] and the [[Chilean Coast Range|Coastal Range]] west-minor height from the Andes. Chile's highest peak is the [[Nevado Ojos del Salado]], at 6891.3 m, which is also the highest volcano in the world. The highest point of the Coastal Range is Vicuña Mackenna, at 3114 meters, located in the Sierra Vicuña Mackenna, the south of [[Antofagasta Region|Antofagasta]]. Among the coastal mountains and the Pacific is a series of coastal plains, of variable length, which allow the settlement of coastal towns and big ports. Some areas of the plains territories encompass territory east of the Andes, and the Patagonian steppes and Magellan, or are high plateaus surrounded by high mountain ranges, such as the Altiplano or Puna de Atacama.

The [[Far North, Chile|Far North]] is the area between the northern boundary of the country and the [[Parallel (geometry)|parallel]] 26° S, covering the first three regions. It is characterized by the presence of the [[Atacama desert]], the most arid in the world. The desert is fragmented by streams that originate in the area known as the [[Pampa del Tamarugal|pampas Tamarugal]]. The Andes, split in two and whose eastern arm runs through [[Bolivia]], has a high altitude and volcanic activity, which has allowed the formation of the Andean altiplano and salt structures as the [[Salar de Atacama]], due to the gradual accumulation of sediments over time.

To the south is the [[Norte Chico, Chile|Norte Chico]], extending to the [[Aconcagua River|Aconcagua river]]. Los Andes begin to decrease its altitude to the south and closer to the coast, reaching 90&nbsp;km away at the height of [[Illapel]], the narrowest part of the Chilean territory. The two mountain ranges intersect, virtually eliminating the intermediate depression. The existence of rivers flowing through the territory allows the formation of [[Transverse Valleys|transverse valleys]], where agriculture has developed strongly in recent times, while the [[coastal plains]] begin to expand.
[[File:Amalia_Glacier_(47461801572).jpg|thumbnail|left|[[Amalia Glacier]], located in [[Bernardo O'Higgins National Park]]]]

The [[Zona Central, Chile|Central]] area is the most populated region of the country. The coastal plains are wide and allow the establishment of cities and ports along the Pacific. The Andes maintain altitudes above 6000m but descend slowly in height to 4000 meters on average. The intermediate depression reappears becoming a fertile valley that allows agricultural development and human settlement, due to sediment accumulation. To the south, the Cordillera de la Costa reappears in the [[Cordillera de Nahuelbuta]] while glacial sediments create a series of lakes in the area of [[La Frontera, Chile|La Frontera]].

Patagonia extends from within Reloncavi, at the height of parallel 41°S, to the south. During the [[Llanquihue glaciation|last glaciation]], this area was covered by ice that strongly eroded Chilean relief structures. As a result, the intermediate depression sinks in the sea, while the coastal mountains rise to a series of archipelagos, such as [[Chiloé Island|Chiloé]] and the [[Chonos Archipelago|Chonos]], disappearing in Taitao peninsula, in the parallel 47°S. The Andes mountain range loses height and erosion caused by the action of glaciers has caused [[fjords]]. East of the Andes, on the continent, or north of it, on the [[Tierra del Fuego (main island)|island of Tierra del Fuego]] are located relatively flat plains, which in the Strait of Magellan cover large areas. The Andes, as he had done previously Cordillera de la Costa, begins to break in the ocean causing a myriad of islands and islets and disappear into it, sinking and reappearing in the Southern Antilles arc and then the Antarctic Peninsula, where it is called Antartandes, in the Chilean Antarctic Territory, lying between the meridians 53°W and 90°W.

In the middle of the Pacific, the country has sovereignty over several islands of volcanic origin, collectively known as Insular Chile. The archipelago of Juan Fernandez and Easter Island is located in the fracture zone between the Nazca plate and the Pacific plate known as East Pacific Rise.

=== Climate and hydrography ===
[[File:Köppen–Geiger climate types in Chile.png|thumb|Chile map of Köppen climate classification]]
{{main|Climate of Chile}}

The diverse [[climate of Chile]] ranges from the world's driest desert in the north—the [[Atacama Desert]]—through a [[Mediterranean climate]] in the center, [[Tropical rainforest climate|tropical]] in Easter Island,<ref>{{Cite book |last=K |first=Ana María Errázuriz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oXGaJKGMaMgC |title=Manual de geografía de Chile |date=1998 |publisher=Andres Bello |isbn=978-956-13-1523-5 |page=74 |language=es |access-date=21 November 2023 |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121211655/https://books.google.com/books?id=oXGaJKGMaMgC |url-status=live }}</ref> to an [[oceanic climate]], including [[alpine tundra]] and [[glaciers]] in the east and south.<ref name="BBC-Chile">{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1222764.stm |title=Country profile: Chile |work=BBC News |date=16 December 2009 |access-date=31 December 2009 |archive-date=14 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114035710/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1222764.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen system]], Chile within its borders hosts at least eighteen major climatic subtypes.<ref>Santibáñez, F; Uribe, J. 1997. Atlas Agroclimático de Chile. Santiago, Chile. Fondo 
Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico.</ref> There are four seasons in most of the country: summer (December to February), autumn (March to May), winter (June to August), and spring (September to November).

Due to the characteristics of the territory, Chile is crossed by numerous rivers generally short in length and with low flow rates. They commonly extend from the [[Andes Mountains|Andes]] to the Pacific Ocean, flowing from East to West. Because of the [[Atacama desert]], in the Norte Grande there are only short [[endorheic]] character streams, except for the [[Loa River]], the longest in the country 440&nbsp;km.<ref name=hydr>{{cite journal |author1=Niemeyer, Hans |author2=Cereceda, Pilar |year=1983 |title=Hydrography |journal=Geography of Chile |publisher=[[Military Geographic Institute (Chile)|Military Geographic Institute]] |edition=1st |location=Santiago |volume=8 }}</ref> In the high valleys, wetland areas generate [[Chungará Lake]], located at 4500 meters above sea level. It and the [[Lauca River]] are shared with [[Bolivia]], as well as the [[Lluta River]]. In the center-north of the country, the number of rivers that form valleys of agricultural importance increases. Noteworthy are the Elqui with 75&nbsp;km<ref name=hydr/> long, 142&nbsp;km Aconcagua, Maipo with 250&nbsp;km<ref name=hydr/> and its tributary, the Mapocho with 110&nbsp;km, and Maule with 240&nbsp;km. Their waters mainly flow from Andean snowmelt in the summer and winter rains. The major lakes in this area are the artificial lake Rapel, the Colbun Maule lagoon and the lagoon of La Laja.

[[Climate change]] is expected to alter the frequency and severity of various natural hazards in Chile, including wildfires, floods, landslides, droughts and rising sea levels. Key sectors vulnerable to climate change impacts include agriculture, fisheries, agriculture and water security.<ref>{{Cite web |last=World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal |title=Chile |url=https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/chile/vulnerability#:~:text=Chile%20is%20highly%20exposed%20and,those%20disasters%20on%20human%20populations. |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org |language=en}}</ref>

===Biodiversity===
{{main|Wildlife of Chile}}
[[File:Araucaria araucana - Parque Nacional Conguillío por lautaroj - 001.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Araucaria araucana]]'' trees in Conguillío National Park]]

The flora and fauna of Chile are characterized by a high degree of endemism, due to its particular geography. In continental Chile, the [[Atacama Desert]] in the north and the [[Andes Mountains|Andes mountains]] to the east are barriers that have led to the isolation of flora and fauna. Add to that the enormous length of Chile (over {{convert|4300|km|0|abbr=on}}) and this results in a wide range of climates and environments that can be divided into three general zones: the desert provinces of the north, central Chile, and the humid regions of the south.

The native flora of Chile consists of relatively fewer species compared to the flora of other South American countries. The northernmost coastal and central region is largely barren of vegetation, approaching the most absolute desert in the world.<ref name=Icarito>{{Cite web |title=Flora y Fauna de Chilena |work=Icarito |url=http://www.icarito.cl/icarito/enciclopedia/canal/canal/0,0,38035857_152308989,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060410080253/http://www.icarito.cl/icarito/enciclopedia/canal/canal/0%2C0%2C38035857_152308989%2C00.html |archive-date=10 April 2006}}</ref>

On the slopes of the Andes, in addition to the scattered tola desert brush, grasses are found. The central valley is characterized by several species of cacti, the hardy [[Acacia caven|espinos]], the [[Araucaria araucana|Chilean pine]], the [[nothofagus|southern beeches]] and the [[copihue]], a red bell-shaped flower that is Chile's national flower.<ref name="Icarito" />

In southern Chile, south of the Biobío River, heavy precipitation has produced dense forests of laurels, magnolias, and various species of conifers and beeches, which become smaller and more stunted to the south.<ref name="Bio&Con">{{cite journal |last1=Smith-Ramírez |first1=Cecilia |last2=Díaz |first2=Iván |last3=Pliscoff |first3=Patricio |last4=Valdovinos |first4=Claudio |last5=Méndez |first5=Marco A. |last6=Larraín |first6=Juan |last7=Samaniego |first7=Horacio |title=Distribution patterns of flora and fauna in southern Chilean Coastal rain forests: Integrating Natural History and GIS |journal=Biodiversity and Conservation |date=August 2007 |volume=16 |issue=9 |pages=2627–2648 |doi=10.1007/s10531-006-9073-2 |bibcode=2007BiCon..16.2627S |s2cid=6879631 }}</ref>

The cold temperatures and winds of the extreme south preclude heavy forestation. Grassland is found in East [[Magallanes Province]] and northern [[Tierra del Fuego Province, Chile|Tierra del Fuego]] (in Patagonia). Much of the Chilean flora is distinct from that of neighboring Argentina, indicating that the Andean barrier existed during its formation.<ref name="Bio&Con" />
[[File:Peruan_Condor.jpg|thumb|[[Andean condor]] (''Vultur gryphus''), the national bird of Chile]]

Some of Chile's flora has an Antarctic origin due to [[land bridge]]s which formed during the Cretaceous ice ages, allowing plants to migrate from Antarctica to South America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chilean-and-antarctic-fossils-reveal-the-last-geologic-minutes-of-the-age-of-dinosaurs-slide-show/|title=Chilean and Antarctic Fossils Reveal the Last "Geologic Minutes" of the Age of Dinosaurs [Slide Show]|first=Ángela|last=Posada-Swafford|website=[[Scientific American]]|access-date=5 April 2017|archive-date=6 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406023619/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chilean-and-antarctic-fossils-reveal-the-last-geologic-minutes-of-the-age-of-dinosaurs-slide-show/|url-status=live}}</ref> Chile had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 7.37/10, ranking it 43rd globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}</ref>

Just over 3,000 species of fungi are recorded in Chile,<ref>Oehrens, E.B. "Flora Fungosa Chilena". Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile, 1980</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/robigalia/eng/index.htm |title=Cybertruffle's Robigalia – Observations of fungi and their associated organisms |publisher=cybertruffle.org.uk |access-date=9 July 2011 |archive-date=29 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229121452/http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/robigalia/eng/index.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> but this number is far from complete. The true total number of fungal species occurring in Chile is likely to be far higher, given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7 percent of all fungi worldwide have so far been discovered.<ref>Kirk, P.M., Cannon, P.F., Minter, D.W. and Stalpers, J. "Dictionary of the Fungi". Edn 10. CABI, 2008</ref> Although the amount of available information is still very small, a first effort has been made to estimate the number of fungal species endemic to Chile, and 1995 species have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/chilfung/eng/endelist.htm |title=Fungi of Chile – potential endemics |publisher=cybertruffle.org.uk |access-date=9 July 2011 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927172749/http://www.cybertruffle.org.uk/chilfung/eng/endelist.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Chile's geographical isolation has restricted the immigration of faunal life so that only a few of the many distinctive South American animals are found. Among the larger mammals are the [[Cougar|puma]] or cougar, the llama-like [[guanaco]] and the fox-like [[South American gray fox|chilla]]. In the forest region, several types of marsupials and a small deer known as the [[Pudú|pudu]] are found.<ref name= Icarito/>

There are many species of small birds, but most of the larger common Latin American types are absent. Few freshwater fish are native, but North American trout have been successfully introduced into the Andean lakes.<ref name= Icarito/> Owing to the vicinity of the Humboldt Current, ocean waters abound with fish and other forms of marine life, which in turn support a rich variety of waterfowl, including several penguins. Whales are abundant, and some six species of seals are found in the area.<ref name= Icarito/>