Carte Postale Armoiries du Chili

Chili, officially the republic of Chili, is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Pérou to the North, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. Chilean territoriory includes îles du Pacifique de Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas et Easter Island. Chile claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty. Chili's northern desert contgreains at mineral wealth, principally copper. The relatively small central area dominates in terms of population and agricultural resources, and is the cultural and political center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century when it incorporated its northern and southern regions. Southern Chile rich in forests and grazing lands and feobjets a string of volcanoesand lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands.