Fact Friday- #1 Geography

Every Friday, I'm going to post some rather random information on Chile. Sure you could argue that my blog is always random information on Chile... but this will be different. I'm going to post a section of the research paper that I wrote before I came every week. Don't be afraid. I promise that they won't be very long. This has three purposes: 1) you can learn more about Chile, 2) Those 2 times I did not go to the 4H fair this summer will not go to waste, & 3) I can effortlessly meet my 3-posts-a-week requirement! Also, if you would like to know about a certain topic, comment below with your request, and the next Fact Friday will be on your subject of choice! Enjoy! And here's the first one.

Where On Earth is Chile?!?-

Chile is located on the coast of western South America. The longitude and latitude are 33.4333° S, 70.6667° W.  It is in the -4 time zone, the same as parts of eastern Canada. Therefore Chile is one hour ahead of South Bend.

Major Geological Features and Their Impact-

Chile's main geological feature by far are the Andes Mountains in eastern Chile which cover about 1/3 of the country. These include the mountains: Ojos del Salado (22,615'), Parinacota (20,827'), and Llullaillaco (22,110'). Another major feature is the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. It is the driest place in the world and covers about 40,541 square mi (105,000 square km). Chile also has many vast lakes in the Chile Zona Sur or Lake District in Southern Chile. Further more, Chile's 2,653 mi (4,270 km) long coastline is a key element of life, and geography.

  In the past these land formations helped to isolate the native tribes of Chile from conquest, allowing their culture to be preserved far longer than in many other places. Now, because these natural barriers also serve as Chile's boarders, they mainly isolate Chile from it's neighbors: Bolivia, Argentina, and Peru. However, they do not provide significant barriers for people in Chile. This creates the unique and homogeneous Chilean culture.