ABSTRACT
Chile is a long and narrow country on the western side of South America. It extends over 4200 km from above the Tropic of Capricorn to almost the Antarctic Circle, and therefore the climatic conditions of the country vary widely. The Andes range, with tall peaks and volcanoes, spreads linearly from north to south. The northern area of the country is the Atacama Desert-the world’s driest region. Rainfall in the semiarid area leads to a predominantly Mediterranean climate in the middle of the country, which turns to colder and humid areas in the southern part and cold and dry areas in Chilean Patagonia.
