世界上最狭长的国家—智利 The World’s Thinnest Country—Chile

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Or anyone who has ever been fascinated by geography, the long, impossibly thin line of Chile has always produced a moment of astonishment. Chile stretches over 4,300km along the southwestern coast of South America, a distance roughly the same as that from San Francisco to New York. At the same time, its width never exceeds 240 km, making the country more than 18 times longer than its widest point.

The most obvious factor in chile’s remarkable slenderness is the massive and virtually impassable wall of the Andes, a mountain range that contains more than 50 active volcanic peaks. In the center of the country, however, is a long and expansive river valley, a 500-mile corridor occupied in the north by vineyards and great farms and in the south by primeval forests and enchanting lakes.

Chile is a country of startling contrasts and extreme beauty, with attractions ranging from the towering volcanic peaks of the Andes to the ancient forests of the Lake District, which is the homeland of Chile’s indigenous people, the Araucanians. Chile is famous as the location of Terres del Paine, considered to be the finest nature travel destination in all of South America.

Known as the City of Eternal Spring, Arica is located at the northern tip of Chile on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. It is blessed with a mild, dry climate and waters are warm enough for swimming, making it a popular, year-round beach resort. Historically, Arica was an important trade center for products from the interior, and the Quechua and Aymara Indians still come to the city to sell traditional handicrafts. Arica is also a major transportation center, with international air links to Bolivia and Peru. Among adventure travelers, the city is best known as the starting point for excursions into the Atacama Desert.

The coastal Atacama Desert is the driest in the world and almost totally barren. The landscape of the moon offers an obvious comparison, except that the Atacama has its backdrop the towering Andes, which block tropical storms from the Amazon Basin to the east. During the time of El Nino, there can be torrential rains in some areas of the desert, causing flash floods and sudden, ephemeral bursts of vegetation.

Santiago, the capital of Chile, is the fifth largest city in South America. Today, it is one of the most modern cities on the continent, home to nearly 5 million inhabitants over a third of all Chileans. The city is one of the largest in South America and Chile’s center of commerce. Santiago is also the central point of a region filled with attractive sites and activities. Only 60 km away are the main South American ski centers, and the beautiful beaches of the Pacific are only an hour’s drive to the northwest. Just south of Santiago lie the rich and beautiful vineyards of the Maipo Valley, one of the world’s most esteemed wine producing regions.