Chile Is So Long It Spans 38 Degrees of Latitude

Chile's remarkable ribbon-like form is a direct consequence of its geography, pinned between the towering Andes Mountains to the east and the vast Pacific Ocean to the west. This unique territorial shape, one of the most unusual in the world, is the primary reason for its astonishing climatic diversity. The country's expansion was historically channeled north and south, as the formidable Andes created a near-impenetrable barrier to the east. This longitudinal growth, partly the result of military campaigns like the 19th-century War of the Pacific, cemented the nation's elongated borders and its corresponding spectrum of environments.

This incredible length means that traveling from one end of Chile to the other is like traversing multiple countries in terms of climate. In the north, the Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert on Earth, a result of a double rain shadow from two mountain ranges and the cooling effect of the offshore Humboldt ocean current, which prevents the formation of rain clouds. In stark contrast (Review), the southern regions of Chile feature a cool, oceanic climate characterized by high rainfall, dense forests, deep fjords, and massive glaciers. Between these two extremes lies Central Chile, which enjoys a temperate, Mediterranean climate and is home to the majority of the country's population.