Chile is situated on the west coast of South America with its borders touching Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. Its coast stretches for miles along the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Antarctic in the south, with a coastline running for more than 4,000 km, while the width of the country is barely 180 km. Spanish is the official language and other languages such as Mapudungu, Rapanui and Aymara are spoken.
In the far south there are islands forming archipelagos and channels, which include the Juan Fernández Islands and Easter Island, while along the coast there are high cliffs that hang over the ocean.
The Andes run parallel to another coastal highland range for most of chile’s length, offering superb skiing and hiking sites with strategic viewpoints. Between these two ranges is a fertile valley where its rich soil is scattered with plantations and where most of Chile’s population lives.
Chile’s capital, Santiago is situated in the central region between the Andes and the coastal mountain range and is a vast expanse of a city offering all amenities and cultural sites to visit.
Chile is a land of contrasting landscapes from the Atacama desert in the north, one of the driest deserts in the world, the forests below the city of Concepción to the glaciers in the far south.
There are plenty of outdoor activities such as skiing, trekking, rafting and many other adventure sports.
The climate can get hot in the north to extremely cold in the south, while the central areas, near Santiago have a Mediterranean climate, with the colder season going from May to August.
