Chile
Submitted by whitetiger on Fri, 2007-07-27 13:17.
Chile ( Chile) is a country in Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru. Chile geographic coordinates 30 00 S, 71 00 W; area introduction A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation. government type republic; capital Santiago; administrative divisions 13 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica; independence 18 September 1810 (from Spain); national holiday Independence Day, 18 September (1810); constitution 11 September 1980; effective 11 March 1981; amended 30 July 1989, 1993, and 1997; legal system based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Chile is in the process of completely overhauling its criminal justice system; a new, US-style adversarial system is being gradually implemented throughout the country with the final stage of implementation in the Santiago metropolitan region expected in June 2005; suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory;