Chile lies in South America, part of the Americas. The long form of the name is Republic of Chile. The capital is Santiago.
Some 19.8 million people call it home, placing it 66th of 250 by population — between Chad above it and Romania below. Measured only against its own subregion, it is 7th of 14 in size and 6th in population.
Its territory runs to 756,102 km², which ranks it 39th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Türkiye and just ahead of Zambia. For scale, it is a fraction smaller than Türkiye.
How Chile sits on the globe
Plotted on a globe it falls at 30.0° south, 71.0° west, which puts it in the southern hemisphere, roughly 3,340 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach South Africa, Lesotho and Norfolk Island — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
Its land neighbours number 3: Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. The largest of them by area is Argentina, which is also the most populous. Together those neighbours hold about 92.3 million people.
Unlike its landlocked neighbours it reaches the sea directly, while also sharing land frontiers.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Population and languages of Chile
Density comes out at around 26 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
The one official language is Spanish. Spanish is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 23 other entries including Argentina, Belize, Bolivia and Colombia.
The demonym is Chilean, so residents are Chileans.
Inside the Americas it places 9th of 56 by population, and it accounts for 4.5% of everyone living in South America.
Currency, domain and dialling code
It uses the Chilean peso ($, CLP). No other entry in this dataset uses it, so the currency is specific to Chile.
The top-level domain is .cl. To phone it from abroad you dial +56. In ISO terms it is cl in two letters and CHL in three.
Santiago is the city to remember for this country.
Chile is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Chile shares borders with 3 countries:
Fun facts about Chile
- Ranked by land area, Chile is 39th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
- It is 66th of 250 by population, with about 19.8 million residents.
- In land area it is a fraction smaller than Türkiye.
- The Chilean peso is used here and nowhere else on this list.
- It lies about 3,340 km from the equator, in subtropical latitudes.
- Its full official name is Republic of Chile.
Chile — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Chile?
- The capital of Chile is Santiago.
- What is the population of Chile?
- Chile has a population of about 19.8 million, which makes it the 66th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Chad sits just above it and Romania just below.
- Where is Chile located?
- Chile is in South America, part of the Americas. Its reference coordinates are 30.0° south and 71.0° west, roughly 3,340 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.
- Which countries border Chile?
- Chile borders 3 countries: Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. Argentina is the largest of them by area.
- What currency does Chile use?
- Chile uses the Chilean peso, written $ (currency code CLP). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- What language is spoken in Chile?
- The official language of Chile is Spanish. It is also official in 23 other entries on this list.
- Is Chile a country?
- Yes. Chile is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- How big is Chile?
- Chile covers 756,102 km², ranking 39th of 250 by land area. That makes it a fraction smaller than Türkiye.
