Chile is a long narrow country that runs along the western coast of South America. The Andes mountain range runs the length of the inland border. It was originally inhabited by Araucanian natives, but was colonized by the Spanish in 1550. Unlike many South American countries, Chile does not have abundant deposits of gold or silver ore, and for this reason its growth as a colony was slow. It does, however, have great stores of iron, copper, and nitrates. During the Industrial Revolution that swept the world in the nineteenth century, these elements became crucial for manufacturing. Especially influential was Chile's nitrates, which were essential in fertilizers that became increasingly valuable as countries all over the world moved from farm economies to urban industrial societies, and for the manufacture of explosives. Chile became a rich country by the dawn of the twentieth century from nitrate production.

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