Chile borders which ocean to the west

Larger than any European country except Russia, Chile covers an area of , square miles. If you stretched Chile east to west across the United States, it would reach from Maine to California.

Geographically, Chile offers diversity unmatched by most other countries. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean; to the east it is separated from Bolivia and Argentina by the towering Andes range La Cordillera de los Andes , with peaks in Chile that rise to 22, feet. Peru shares a short border to the north. Within its borders, Chile has four distinct geographic zones: the dry northern desert, the fertile Central Valley, the forests and lakes of south-central Chile, and the archipelagos, fiords and channels of the far south.

Some parts have never recorded rainfall. South of the Bio-Bio the landscape becomes increasingly forested. Especially striking is the area from southeast of Temuco south to Puerto Montt. Chile is commonly divided into regions by latitude from north to south. Major regions are: the Norte Grande a desert ; the Norte Chico a semiarid region ; the Central Valley a temperate heartland ; the south-central region a dense rain forest and the picturesque Lake District ; and the southern region a cold and windswept landscape.

The coastline of the southern region includes thousands of islands, extending down to Cape Horn. Chile borders the South Pacific Ocean, and the curved southernmost portion of its coast reaches to the Atlantic Ocean at the Strait of Magellan. The Humboldt Current, an ocean current flowing northward from Antarctica, chills the waters of the Pacific off the Chilean coast.

Chile's offshore islands consist of submerged mountaintops that are a continuation of the Andes Mountains. At the southern tip of the country, the Strait of Magellan lies between Tierra del Fuego and the rest of Chile, providing Chile with an opening to the Atlantic Ocean.

Numerous other inlets separate the islands of Chile's southern coast, including the Gulf of Corcovado, the Gulf of Penas, and the Nelson Strait. The southern third of the Chilean coast consists of an extensive series of islands and archipelagos stretching for some 1, kilometers miles.

Cape Horn, located on an island to the south of Tierra del Fuego, is the southernmost point in South America. There are few beaches and natural harbors along Chile's long, narrow coast. In the southern part of this district lies Lake Llanquihue, the country's largest lake, and the third-largest natural lake in South America. It has a maximum length of 35 kilometers 22 miles , a maximum width of 40 kilometers 25 miles , and maximum depths of 1, meters 5, feet.

Because most of Chile's rivers flow across the narrow country in a westward direction—down the Andes and into the Pacific—they are short. Nevertheless, their steep path down the mountainsides makes them a good source for hydroelectric power. The longest is the Loa River in the north. The Atacama Desert, which extends from the northern border to the Aconcagua River, consists largely of dry river basins and salt flats, with a few rivers and oases. It is both the warmest and driest part of the country, and is said to be the world's driest desert.

The region immediately to the south of the Atacama Desert is semiarid. The Andes Mountains reach their greatest elevations in Chile, where they span nearly the entire length of the country, starting with the peaks of the Atacama Desert in the north. The Andes chain forms most of Chile's border with Argentina to the east. The above map can be downloaded, printed and used for geography education purposes like map-pointing and coloring activities.

The above outline map represents Chile, a long narrow country located in the southwestern part of South America. The country has an unusual, ribbon-like shape, with a long toothy coastline. This page was last updated on February 24, Home South America Chile. Regions Map Where is Chile? Outline Map Key Facts Flag. Salt Spring Island. Old Faithful Geyser. Kuril Islands. The design of the coat of arms is defined in Supreme Decree 1.

According to the decree, the coat of arms has a silver five-pointed star in the center of a shield divided into two equal parts, with blue on top and red on the bottom. The shield also has a plume of feathers in three colors: blue, white and red. It is supported by a huemul on the right and a condor on the left and each are wearing a golden naval crown. The first National Anthem The first national anthem dates back to It became customary to sing the anthem before every performance at the theater.

At first, everyone would stand up to sing, however, the practice of singing it every evening slowly decreased until it was only sung on Independence Day. The Spanish musician composed the hymn in , debuting on December 23, at a concert by the Philharmonic Society at the Arteaga Theater.

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