Ricardo Lagos
President

(pronounced "Ree-CAR-doe LA-gos")

"We must end the two Chiles. No longer can we accept an unjust nation where the rich live comfortably while too many people live in poverty."

The Republic of Chile is long and narrow, covering an area of 756,950 sq km (292,260 sq mi). It lies along the Pacific coast of Latin America, bordered by Peru and Bolivia to the north, Argentina to the east, and Cape Horn to the south. Easter Island (Isla de Pascua), the Juan Fernandez Islands, and many other small islands to the west and south also form part of Chile. The Andes Mountains separate Chile from Argentina, leaving Chile relatively isolated within Latin America. Chile is among the nations that claim territory in Antarctica; Chile claims ownership of 1.2 million sq km (463,320 sq mi) of Antarctica.

Chile had an estimated population of 15,498,930 in 2002. Approximately...