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Chile
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FactsBackground: Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the Inca ruled northern Chile while the indigenous Mapuche inhabited central and southern Chile. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the 1880s that the Mapuche Indians were completely subjugated. After a series of elected governments, the three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation. note: data are in 2010 US dollars GDP (official exchange rate): $199.2 billion (2010 est.); GDP - real growth rate: 5.3% (2010 est.); -1.5% (2009 est.); 3.7% (2008 est.); GDP - per capita (PPP): $15,500 (2010 est.); $14,900 (2009 est.); $15,200 (2008 est.); note: data are in 2010 US dollars GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.6%; industry: 40.5%; services: 53.9% (2009 est.); Population below poverty line: 11.5% (2009); Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6%; highest 10%: 41.7% (2006); Labor force: 7.58 million (2010 est.); Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 13.2%; industry: 23%; services: 63.9% (2005); Unemployment rate: 8.7% (2010 est.); 9.6% (2009 est.); Budget: revenues: $40.97 billion; expenditures: $45.07 billion (2010 est.); Industries: copper, lithium, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles; Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2010 est.); Electricity - production: 60.6 billion kWh (2007 est.); Electricity - consumption: 57.29 billion kWh (2007 est.); Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.); Electricity - imports: 1.628 billion kWh (2007 est.); Statistics: CIA World Factbook. Press 1 2 Displaying 1 to 7 of 10 items. Cosas(Lifestyle magazine), Santiago El Mercurio(Conservative), Santiago El Mostrador(Independent), Santiago El Sur(Conservative), Concepción La Cuarta(Tabloid), Santiago La Nación(Government-owned), Santiago La Tercera(Conservative), Santiago Chile in the NewsDisplaying 5 to 8 of 55 items. Mapuches and Students Bear Brunt of Violence by CarabinerosEighteen years after the end of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, cases of police abuse—far from being an issue of the past—appear to be on the rise in Chile. Hydro Project Approved in Chile's Puyehue National ParkIf allowed to stand, the decision will set a potentially disastrous precedent, opening the floodgates for development in all of Chile's national parks and other protected areas. An Encounter With Chile's Powerful PascuaHome to the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the largest in the world outside of Antarctica and Greenland, the remote region of Aysén also boasts one of Chile's most powerful rivers, the Pascua. Chile Senate Protests U.S.-Mexico Border WallChile's Senate passed a resolution on last Wednesday formally protesting the United States government's construction of a wall along the United States-Mexico border. |
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