Page 58 - Across the Andes: Chile’s Atacama Desert & Argentina’s Northwest

DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

Chile

Facts & Figures

• Area: 291,933 square miles

• Capital: Santiago

• Languages: Spanish

• Location: Chile is bordered by Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina

• Geography: One third of Chile is covered by the Andes. Five distinct geographical
regions make up the country: the Northern Desert, the Central Valley, the Lake District,
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• Government Type: Republic

• Population: 17,508,260

• Religions: Roman Catholic 66.7%, Evangelical or Protestant 16.4%, Jehovah’s Witness
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• Time Zone: From roughly mid-September to mid-April, though it can vary year to year,
Chile is on Chile Summer Time (CLST), two hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time
(EST). When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 8am in Santiago. The rest of the year,
Chile is on Chile Standard Time (CLT), 1 hour ahead of EST, and the exact same time as
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Chile’s seasons are opposite to those in the U.S., so just as
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National Holidays: Chile

In addition to the holidays listed below, 07/16 Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Chile celebrates a number of national
08/15 Assumption of Mary
holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such
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out if you will be traveling during these
holidays, please visit www.timeanddate. 09/19 Army Day
com/holidays.
11/01 All Saints’ Day
01/01 New Year’s Day
12/08 Immaculate Conception Day
05/01 Labor Day / May Day
12/25 Christmas Day
05/21 Navy Day

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