World Factbook
Chile
República de Chile
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; a blue square sits in the top left corner of the flag, the same height as the white band; the square has a five-pointed white star in the center meaning: the star represents a guide to progress and honor; blue stands for the sky, white for the Andes Mountains, and red for the blood spilled to achieve independence
note: design influenced by the US flag
Capital
name
Santiago; note - Valparaiso is the seat of the national legislature
etymology
Santiago is named after Saint James, the patron saint of Spain (Santo Iago in Spanish); Valparaiso derives from the Spanish words valle (valley) and paraíso (paradise)
time zone note
Chile has three time zones: the continental portion at UTC-3; the southern Aysén and Magallanes regions, which do not use daylight savings time and remain at UTC-3 year-round; and Easter Island at UTC-5
time difference
UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins second Sunday in August; ends second Sunday in May; note - Punta Arenas observes DST throughout the year
geographic coordinates
33 27 S, 70 40 W
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
yes
citizenship by descent only
yes
dual citizenship recognized
yes
residency requirement for naturalization
5 years
Constitution
history
many previous; latest adopted 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; in September 2022 and again in December 2023, referendums presented for a new constitution were both defeated, and the September 1980 constitution remains in force
amendment process
proposed by members of either house of the National Congress or by the president of the republic; passage requires at least four-sevenths majority vote of the membership in both houses and approval by the president; passage of amendments to constitutional articles, such as the republican form of government, basic rights and freedoms, the Constitutional Tribunal, electoral justice, the Council of National Security, or the constitutional amendment process, requires at least four-sevenths majority vote by both houses of Congress and approval by the president; the president can opt to hold a referendum when Congress and the president disagree on an amendment
Country name
etymology
derivation of the name is unclear; it may come from a local word meaning either "land's end" or "cold," or a local word that was confused with the Mexican Spanish word chili , meaning a chili pepper, in reference to the area's shape
local long form
República de Chile
local short form
Chile
conventional long form
Republic of Chile
conventional short form
Chile
Independence
18 September 1810 (from Spain)
Legal system
civil law system influenced by several Western European civil legal systems; Constitutional Tribunal reviews legislative acts
Government type
presidential republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (consists of a court president and 20 members); Constitutional Court (consists of 10 members and is independent of the rest of the judiciary); Elections Qualifying Court (consists of 5 members)
subordinate courts
Courts of Appeal; oral criminal tribunals; military tribunals; local police courts; specialized tribunals and courts in matters such as family, labor, customs, taxes, and electoral affairs
judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court president and judges (ministers) appointed by the president of the republic and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 70; Constitutional Court members appointed - 3 by the Supreme Court, 3 by the president of the republic, 2 by the Chamber of Deputies, and 2 by the Senate; members serve 9-year terms with partial membership replacement every 3 years (the court reviews constitutionality of legislation); Elections Qualifying Court members appointed by lottery - 1 by the former president or vice president of the Senate and 1 by the former president or vice president of the Chamber of Deputies, 2 by the Supreme Court, and 1 by the Appellate Court of Valparaiso; members appointed for 4-year terms
Executive branch
note
note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president
chief of state
President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022)
election results
2025: José Antonio KAST elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jeannette Alejandra JARA Román (PCCh) 26.8%, José Antonio KAST (PLR) 23.9%, Franco Aldo PARISI Fernández (PDG) 19.7%, Johannes KAISER (PNL) 13.9%, Evelyn Rose MATTHEI Fornet (PL) 12.5%; other 3.2%; percent of vote in second round - José Antonio KAST 58.2%, Jeannette Alejandra JARA Román 41.8%; note - KAST will take office 11 March 2026 2021: Gabriel BORIC elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - José Antonio KAST (FSC) 27.9%; Gabriel BORIC (AD) 25.8%; Franco PARISI (PDG) 12.8%; Sebastian SICHEL (ChP+) 12.8%; Yasna PROVOSTE (New Social Pact) 11.6%; other 9.1%; percent of vote in second round - Gabriel BORIC 55.9%; Jose Antonio KAST 44.1% 2017: Sebastian PINERA Echenique elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Sebastian PINERA Echenique (independent) 36.6%; Alejandro GUILLIER (independent) 22.7%; Beatriz SANCHEZ (independent) 20.3%; Jose Antonio KAST (independent) 7.9%; Carolina GOIC (PDC) 5.9%; Marco ENRIQUEZ-OMINAMI (PRO) 5.7%; other 0.9%; percent of vote in second round - Sebastian PINERA Echenique 54.6%, Alejandro GUILLIER 45.4%
head of government
President Gabriel BORIC (since 11 March 2022)
most recent election date
16 November 2025, with a runoff held on 14 December 2025
election/appointment process
president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a single 4-year term
expected date of next election
18 November 2029 (a runoff, if needed, will take place in December 2029)
National holiday
Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
National color(s)
red, white, blue
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
7 (all cultural)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Rapa Nui National Park; Churches of Chiloe; Historic Valparaiso; Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works; Sewell Mining Town; Qhapaq Ñan/Andean Road System; Chinchorro archeological sites
Political parties
Approve Dignity (Apruebo Dignidad) coalition or AD (included PC, FA, and FREVS); note - dissolved 2023 Broad Front Coalition (Frente Amplio) or FA (includes RD, CS, and Comunes) Chile We Can Do More (Chile Podemos Más) or ChP+ (coalition includes EVOPOLI, PRI, RN, UDI) Christian Democratic Party or PDC Common Sense Party or SC Commons (Comunes) Communist Party of Chile or PCCh Democratic Revolution or RD Democrats or PD Equality Party or PI Green Ecological Party or PEV (dissolved 7 February 2022) Green Popular Alliance or AVP Humanist Action Party or PAH Humanist Party or PH Independent Democratic Union or UDI Liberal Party (Partido Liberal de Chile) or PL National Libertarian Party or PNL National Renewal or RN New Social Pact or NPS (includes PDC, PL, PPD, PRSD, PS) Party for Democracy or PPD Party of the People or PDG Political Evolution or EVOPOLI Popular Party or PP Progressive Homeland Party or PRO Radical Party or PR Republican Party or PLR Social Christian Party or PSC Social Convergence or CS Social Green Regionalist Federation or FREVS Socialist Party or PS Yellow Movement for Chile or AMAR
Legislative branch
legislature name
National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"Himno Nacional de Chile" (National Anthem of Chile)
history
music adopted 1828, original lyrics adopted 1818, adapted lyrics adopted 1847; under Augusto PINOCHET's military rule, a verse glorifying the army was added; some citizens refused to sing this verse as a protest, and it was removed when democracy was restored in 1990
lyrics/music
Eusebio LILLO Robles and Bernardo DE VERA y Pintado/Ramon CARNICER y Battle
National symbol(s)
huemul (mountain deer), Andean condor
Administrative divisions
16 regions ( regiones , singular - region ); Antofagasta, Araucanía, Arica y Parinacota, Atacama, Aysén, Biobío, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Los Ríos, Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena (Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica), Maule, Ñuble, Región Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapacá, Valparaíso
note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
155 (all directly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
11/21/2021
expected date of next election
November 2025
percentage of women in chamber
33.5%
parties elected and seats per party
Chile Podemos (Empowering Chile", CP +) (53); New Social Pact (NPS) (37); Approving Dignity (AD) (37); Christian Social Front (FSC) (15); Other (13)
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
Senate (Senado)
term in office
8 years
number of seats
50 (all directly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
scope of elections
partial renewal
most recent election date
11/21/2021
expected date of next election
November 2025
percentage of women in chamber
32%
parties elected and seats per party
Chile Podemos (Empowering Chile", CP +) (12); New Social Pact (NPS) (8); Approving Dignity (AD) (4); Independents (2); Other (1)
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 887-5579
chancery
1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone
[1] (202) 785-1746
chief of mission
Ambassador Juan Gabriel VALDES Soublette (since 7 June 2022)
consulate(s) general
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
email address and website
echile.eeuu@minrel.gob.cl https://chile.gob.cl/estados-unidos/en/
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[56] (2) 2330-3710
embassy
Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago
telephone
[56] (2) 2330-3000
mailing address
3460 Santiago Place, Washington DC 20521-3460
chief of mission
Ambassador-designate Brandon JUDD (since November 2025)
email address and website
SantiagoUSA@state.gov https://cl.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OECD (enhanced engagement), OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance, PCA, PROSUR, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMOGIP, UNOOSA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction