"In the beginning of time,
God created the wonders of the world.
When he was finished, hew saw
that he had many leftover pieces.
He had parts of rivers and valleys,
of oceans and lakes, of glaciers and
desert, of mountains and forests,
and of meadows and hills.
Rather than to let such beauty go
to waste,God put them all together
and cast them to the most remote
corner of the earth.

This is how Chile was born."


A Chilean Legend

From the salty arid North to the glacier-crowded South, Chile is an awe-inspiring example of nature's splendor and power. A realm of startling contrasts and breathtaking beauty, Chile's attractions range from the towering volcanic peaks of the Andes to the ancient forests of the Lake District. Here, plenty of opportunities are available for the nature-minded and active traveler, owing to the large number of firstrate national parks. Not only famous for the spectacular Torres del Paine, considered by many to be one of nature's finest creations, Chile offers many other unusual and extraordinary places such as the legendary Polynesian Easter Island, remote and out-of-the-way spots along the Carretera Austral and the secluded pre-Hispanic villages of the Andean Highlands.

Location, Geography, Climate
For anyone who has ever been fascinated by geography, the long, slender line of Chile has always proved irresistible. Chile stretches over 4,300 km (2,700 mi) along the south-western coast of South America, a distance roughly the same as that from San Francisco to New York, or Edinburgh to Baghdad. At the same time, its width never exceeds 240 km (150 mi), making it more than eighteen times longer than its widest point. The most eye-catching landmark of Chile's unique shape is the massive, virtually impassable wall of the Andes, a mountain range which is still rising and which boasts more than fifty active volcanoes. It would however be a misconception to picture Chile as nothing more than the Andes falling away into the Pacific Ocean. All along its length the country is marked by a narrow depression between the mountains and the sea. To the north the land rises and becomes more arid, until one reaches the forbidding Atacama Desert, one of the most inhospitable territories on earth.