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Chile Essay

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Introduction
Chile is a republic located in southwestern South America. On the north side of Chile lies Peru, to the east is Bolivia and Argentina, and on the south Peru is bounded by the Pacific Ocean. The Archipelagoes Islands extend along the southern coast of Chile from Chiloé Island to Cape Horn. Among these islands are the Chonos Archipelago, Wellington Island, and the western portion of Tierra del Fuego. Some other islands that belong to Chile include the Juan Fernández Islands, Easter Island, and Sala y Gómez. All of these islands lie in the South Pacific. Chile also happens to claim a section of Antarctica. The capital and largest city of Chile is Santiago.

Land and Resources
The most dominant physical feature in Chile are …show more content…

In the very southern part of Chile, a steppe vegetation of grasses is found.

MINERAL RESOURCES
Chile is rich in mineral resources, chiefly because of the size of the deposits rather that because of the diversity of minerals. Copper is by far the most important mineral. Others include nitrates, iron ore, coal, petroleum and natural gas, silver, and gold.

Economy
The Chilean economy has been dominated by the production of copper. Chile is one of the leading industrial nations in Latin America as well as one of its largest mineral producers. The government used to be very involved in the economy. Chile's estimated gross domestic product (GDP) in 1998 was $78.7 billion. All of the products that Chile exports would be called tertiary activities because they are business and labor specialties (268). Chile has a commercial economy. Producers "freely market their goods and services" (270).

AGRICULTURE
About 14 percent of the labor force of Chile is engaged in Mediterranean agriculture, forestry, and fishing. This sector amounts to about 15 percent of the GDP (271). This would make it a primary activity, or "harvesting or extracting something from the earth" (268). Except for sheep raising, conducted in the far south, the bulk of Chile's agricultural activity is concentrated in the Central Valley. While only 3 percent of Chile's land area is currently under

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