Chile Geography
Chile Geography is undoubtedly the most diverse one. The latitudinal and longitudinal coordination of Chile is 30º00’S and 71º00’W. Chile is a South American country.
The neighboring countries of Chile are Argentina and Peru. The South Pacific Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean also borders the country. Chile particularly consists of three distinct regions, they are:
The Andes – This region is also called the Cordillera which runs along the lengthy stretch of the eastern coast of the country. The water bodies of Pacific and Atlantic oceans also constitute a partial boundary of this region. The Andes of Chile are the highest and most craggy part with heavy rain fall in the north and central regions of Chile, with peaks as high as 6,000 meters.
The Coastal range – This is the second structural region known as Cordillera de la Costa. The region stretches from Arica to Puerto Montt. Large domains of land are characterized by eroded plateau descending down the west to the sea forms sharp-end terraces. The altitude of this coastal range in Chile is approximately 8,800 feet. The south of this region is covered by almost 3,000 hilly islands with an extended fjord to the Cape Horn.
The Central Valley – This is considered as the most important region for the concentrated inhabitation. This is the widest section (80 kilometers) of Chile landscape. The climatic condition is the most comfortable in this Central valley of Chile.
The Islands Territories – These are the volcanic islands, small and sparsely inhabited. Some the islands of Chile are the Juan Fernandez Island, Sala y Gomez, Easter Island, San Ambrosio, San Felix, and Diego Ramirez Islands.
More than 2,000 volcanoes form the most exquisite part of the geography of Chile, among which 48 have erupted once in the last 100 years. The frequent seismic and tectonic movements in Chile give evidence of its location being near the earthquake prone belt.
Chile Weather
Weather of Chile is characterized by the Mediterranean type. Chile is a country unique in its shape, with 2600 miles stretching from North to South and 200 miles from East to West.
The climatic conditions in Chile are very varied. The eastern Chile is mountainous, with peaks rising up to 16000 feet. The foothills of Santiago Mountains are low and more dissected, but the coastal region of the country is craggy with many small offshore islands. The Chilean people experience a mountainous climate with incessant snowfall and glacier formation. Rainfall is less in the northern mountains with a very heavy snowfall. Once one starts moving towards the plain lands from the mountains, the climate starts getting more desert like.
The majority of Chilean population lives in the lowlands of Central Chile. The south is densely forested region featuring cool wet climate. Northern Chile is among the world’s driest areas. There are no rainfalls although the weather is cloudy and cool.
Annual average rainfall in Chile is very low amounting to 14 mm and the average daily temperatures vary from 17 ºC in July to 28 ºC in March. Central Chile experiences a Mediterranean type of climate with warm air blowing during the day time. It has almost no rains in summer, while the winters are temperate and reasonably wet. Frost and snow often occur in the central areas and rarely on the coast.
Chile climate in the southern region is wet all year through. Here annual precipitation is as high as 5000 mm. Thus Climate of Chile is enjoyable if considered area wise due to its varied topography.
