National name: República de Chile

Location: South America

Capital: Santiago

Population: 16,928,873 (June 2009 est.)

Population Density: 22 per sq km.

Provinces: Chile is divided into 53 provinces, grouped into 15 regions, each of which is headed by an intendant. Each province is headed by a governor, appointed by the president. Provinces are further divided into communes which are administered by  municipalities.

Area :756,950 km2 ( 292,183  sq miles).

Bordering countries: Argentina, Bolivia & Peru

Language: Spanish (official), Mapudungu (the language of the Mapuche), Rapanui (Easter Island) and Aymara.

Goverment: Republic

Religion: Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census)

Time:UTC-4; in summer UTC -3

Currency: The unit of currency the Chilean Peso (CLP)

National Holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

The Flag: The Chilean flag was adopted on October 18, 1817, making it one of the oldest flags in the world. Chile gained independence from Spain on February 12, 1818.  

The red stripe represents the blood of patriots who fought for Chile's independence. The white stripe symbolizes the snow of the Andes Mountains; while the blue stripe represents the sky. The star on the flag stresses the fact that Chile is a Unitarian republic, and not a federal republic.

Chilean protocol says the flag can hang either horizontally or vertically, but the star must always be located in the top-left corner.