ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief historical background and a description of major events in Chile. It also provides basic political, economic, and social data arranged in the following categories: polity, economy, population, purchasing power parities, life expectancy, ethnic groups, capital, political rights, civil liberties, and status. The chapter discusses the progress and decline of political rights and civil liberties in Chile. The Republic of Chile was founded after independence from Spain in 1818. Democratic rule predominated in the twentieth century until the 1973 overthrow of Salvador Allende by the military under Pinochet. Chile's civilian governments have investigated hundreds of human rights cases involving incidents occurring after 1978 brought to civilian courts. Prisons in Chile are often overcrowded and antiquated, with facilities nationally running at about 163 percent of capacity. Allegations of official corruption in Chile are normally investigated—although much less so in the military—and, where appropriate, sanctions are meted out.
