Chile Country

13/12/2017

13/12/2017

The World Bank reports that in 2003 household consumption in Chile totaled $43.94 billion or about $2,781 per capita based on a GDP of $72.4 billion, measured in current dollars rather than PPP. Household consumption includes expenditures of individuals, households, and nongovernmental organizations on goods and services, excluding purchases of dwellings. It was estimated that for the period 1990 to 2003 household consumption grew at an average annual rate of 5.8%. In 2001 it was estimated that approximately 17% of household consumption was spent on food, 24% on fuel, 20% on health care, and 15% on education. It was estimated that in 2000 about 20.6% of the population had incomes below the poverty line.

13/12/2017

Although independent in theory, the judiciary remains subject to criticism for inefficiency and lack of independence. The Court's unwillingness to prosecute human rights violations during the military dictatorship cost the judicial system dearly and hindered its reputation. Appointees of the former military regime dominated the courts for most of the 1990s. By 2000, turnover had diminished the number of pro-Pinochet judges, and some judges were asserting their independence. In addition, a comprehensive reform adopted in 1997 effectively strengthen the judiciary and made it more autonomous of the military and civilian authorities. A criminal legal reform initiated in 1997 was completed in 2004 with the separation of the role of judge and prosecutor. A similar reform was likely to occur for civil cases, where the judge currently also serves as the prosecutor.

13/12/2017

Situated along the southwestern coast of South America, Chile has an area of 756,950 sq km (292,260 sq mi). Comparatively, the area occupied by Chile is slightly smaller than twice the size of the state of Montana. A long string of land pressed between the Pacific and the towering Andes, Chile is 4,270 km (2,653 mi) long n–s; it is 356 km (221 mi) wide at its broadest point (just north of Antofagasta) and 64 km (40 mi) wide at its narrowest point, with an average width of 175 km (109 mi) e–w. It is bordered on the n by Peru, on the ne by Bolivia, on the e by Argentina, on the s by the Drake Passage, and on the w by the Pacific Ocean. At the far se, at the end of the Strait of Magellan (Estrecho de Magallanes), it has an opening to the Atlantic Ocean. Chile's boundary length (including coastline) is 12,606 km (7,833 mi).