1.
Norte Chico, Chile
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The Norte Chico is one of the five natural regions on which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. Its northern border is formed by the limit with the Far North, on west lies the Pacific Ocean, by the east the Andes mountains and Argentina and this natural region was home to the Diaguita people. The near north extends from the border of the Atacama Desert to about 32° south latitude. It is a region whose central area receives an average of about 25 mm of rain during each of the four winter months. The near north is also subject to droughts, the temperatures are moderate, with an average of 18.5 °C during the summer and about 12 °C during the winter at sea level. The winter rains and the melting of the snow accumulates on the Andes produce rivers whose flow varies with the seasons. The slopes of the Andes are precipitous, the surface is rough. As in the far north, the areas of the near north have a distinct microclimate. Notable examples can be found in the Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park, because the river valleys provide breaks in the coastal elevations, maritime moisture can penetrate inland and further decrease the generally arid climate in those valleys. The higher elevations in the sections are covered with shrubs. Norte Chico is a mountainous district where distinct ranges or elongated spurs cross the country from the Andes to the coast. The most famous of these is the Elqui Valley, the deep transverse valleys provide broad areas for cattle raising and, most important, fruit growing, an activity that has developed greatly since the mid-1970s. Nearly all Chilean pisco is produced in the near north, the cultivation of the soil becomes possible, at first through irrigation and then with the aid of light periodical rains. Some areas of Norte Chico feature a dry air and negligible cloud cover. Notable astronomical observatories in the district include Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, the Andes of Norte Chico are home to the first, second and fourth mountain highest in Chile. Corresponding respectively to Ojos del Salado, Nevado Tres Cruces and Nevado de Incahuasi, the principal rivers of this natural region are Copiapó, Huasco, Elqui, Limarí and Choapa. The Copiapó, which discharged into the sea, is now practically exhausted in irrigating a small fertile valley in which stands the city of that name. The Copiapó and Huasco rivers have comparatively short courses, but they receive a considerable volume of water from the higher sierras, the latter is also used to irrigate a small, cultivated valley
2.
Central Chile
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Central Chile is one of the five natural regions into which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. It is home to a majority of the Chilean population and includes the three largest metropolitan areas—Santiago, Valparaíso, and Concepción and it extends from about 32° south latitude to about 37° south latitude. Central Chile is one of the five main geographical zones in which Chile is divided, the Chilean Central Valley lies between the Coastal range and the Andes Mountains. To the north is the region known as El Norte Chico. To the south lies the cooler and wetter Valdivian temperate rain forests ecoregion, the Central valley is a fertile region and the agricultural heartland of Chile. The climate is of the temperate Mediterranean type, with the amount of rainfall increasing considerably and progressively from north to south. In the Santiago area, the average temperatures are about 19.5 °C in the summer months of January and February and 7.5 °C in the winter months of June. The average monthly precipitation is no more than a trace in January and February and 69.7 millimetres in June and July. By contrast, in Concepción the average temperatures are somewhat lower in the summer at 17.6 °C but higher in the winter at 9.3 °C. In the summer, Concepción receives an average of twenty millimeters of rain per month, in June and July, the numerous rivers greatly increase their flow as a result of the winter rains and the spring melting of the Andean snows, and they contract considerably in the summer. The combination of abundant snow in the Andes and relatively moderate winter temperatures creates excellent conditions for Alpine skiing, the annual mean temperature in Santiago is 57 °F. The temperate action of the ocean temperatures from dropping drastically. In Santiago the annual rainfall is 13 inches and in Valparaíso, along the Central Valley rainfall increases gradually southward until it reaches 52 inches in Concepción. The topography of central Chile includes a range of mountains running parallel to the Andes. Lying between the two ranges is the so-called Central Valley, which contains some of the richest agricultural land in the country. The area just north and south of Santiago is a producer of fruits. Most of these exports, such as grapes, apples, and peaches, go by refrigerator ships, the southern portion of central Chile contains a mixture of some excellent agricultural lands, many of which were covered originally with old-growth forests. They were cleared for agriculture but were exhausted of their organic matter
3.
Zona Sur
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The Zona Sur is one of the five natural regions on which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. Its northern border is formed by the Bío-Bío River, the limit with the Central Chile Zone, by west with the Pacific Ocean, by the east with the Andean mountains and Argentina. Its southern border is the Chacao Channel, beyond it lies the Austral Zone, while Chiloé Archipelago belongs geographically to Zona Austral in terms of culture and history it lies closer to Zona Sur. Although many lovely lakes can be found in the Andean and coastal regions of central Chile, Southern Chile stretches from below the Río Bío-Bío at about 37° south latitude to below Isla de Chiloé at about 43. 4° south latitude. They drain into the ocean through rivers, some of which are the only ones in the whole country that are navigable for any stretch. The Central Valleys southernmost portion is submerged in the ocean and forms the Golfo de Ancud, Isla de Chiloé, with its rolling hills, is the last important elevation of the coastal range of mountains. The lakes in this region are remarkably beautiful, the snow-covered Andes form a constant backdrop to vistas of clear blue or even turquoise waters, as at Lago Todos los Santos. The rivers that descend from the Andes rush over volcanic rocks, forming numerous white-water sections, the vegetation, including many ferns in the shady areas, is a lush green. Some sections still consist of forests, and in all seasons. The pastures in the northernmost section, around Osorno, are suited for raising cattle, milk, cheese. The lumber industry is also important, a number of tourists, mainly Chileans and Argentines, visit the area during the summer. The climate of Southern Chile is rainy with a Mediterranean precipitation pattern, the windward slopes of the Chilean Coast Range and the Andes receive up to 3000–5000 mm of precipitation annually. Behind the Chilean Coast range there is a rain shadow while behind the Andes, in Argentina. The zone lies in the mid-latitudes and is influenced by the Westerlies. During the summer the South Pacific High moves into the area, the natural vegetation of Southern Chile is mainly the Valdivian temperate rainforests. These forest are characterized by trees, chiefly evergreen Nothofagus. The understory is made of vines, hanging vines, bushes, small trees, moss, dead trunks, despite of being largely evergreen the Valdivian temperate rainforests do contain a number of deciduous tree species like Nothofagus obliqua and Nothofagus alpina. Other vegetations types of southern Chile include Fitzroya forests, Araucaria forests, a number of small mammals inhabit Southern Chile including the pudú, coypu and Darwins fox
4.
Zona Austral
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The Zona Austral is one of the five natural regions into which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950 corresponding to the Chilean portion of Patagonia. It is surrounded by the Zona Sur and the Chacao Channel to the north, the Pacific Ocean and Drakes Passage to the south and west, if excluding Chiloé Archipelago Zona Austral covers all of Chilean Patagonia. In the far south, which extends from Valdivia through the Chacao Channel to Cape Horn, the Andes and this district of the country is mountainous, heavily forested and inhospitable. The heavy and continuous throughout this region, especially in the latitude of Chiloé, gives rise to a large number of rivers. Farther south this excessive precipitation is in the form of snow in the Andes, forming glaciers at a low level which in places discharge into the inlets. The perpetual snow-line here descends to 1,000 to 1,200 m above sea-level, an important transverse mountain range of the Andes separates the valleys of the rivers Simpson and Ibañez. This section is dominated by the active Hudson volcano and the jagged Cerro Castillo, southward from General Carrera lake is found a wide oblique opening in the range, through which flows the river Baker. The main chain of the Andes in the west is a rugged mass of ice and snow of an average height of 2700 m. Monte San Valentin is the point of the Andes in the region extending from 49° to 46° S latitude Monte San Lorenzo. The section from 48° to 52° S latitude is a continuous ice-capped mountain range, and some of the glaciers extend from the lakes to the western channels. The highest mountain in the section is Lautaro volcano, but the most famous compose the Cordillera del Paine in the south and the Fitz Roy group in the north. The southernmost part of zone is formed by two small parallel ranges called Cordillera Sarmiento and Cordillera Riesco, which are separated by the Fjord of the Mountains. Up to Strait of Magellan, the slope of the Cordillera does not, properly speaking. The extent of the glaciers is considerable in this region, which, farther south the Andes terminates in Cape Horn. In this section the mountains are composed principally of crystalline rocks, the rest of the land consists of literally thousands of islands forming numerous archipelagos interwoven with sometimes-narrow channels, which provide the main routes of navigation. The grouping of such shows that they are in part the summits of a submerged mountain chain. Three groups of these, called Chiloé, Guaitecas and Chonos archipelagoes, the largest island of this portion of Austral Chile is Chiloé, which is inhabited. Some of the islands of these groups are also inhabited, though the excessive rainfall of these latitudes
5.
Lauca National Park
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Lauca National Park is located in Chiles far north, in the Andean range. It encompasses an area of 1,379 km2 of altiplano and mountains, las Vicuñas National Reserve is its neighbour to the south. Both protected areas, along with Salar de Surire Natural Monument, the park borders Sajama National Park in Bolivia. The park is located 145 kilometres east of Arica and 12 kilometres west of Putre, one of the main attractions of the park is the small lacustrine area formed by Chungará and Cotacotani lakes, which lies at the foothills of the Payachata volcanic group. Other majestic volcanoes forming part of the park are the Guallatiri. Lauca features include archaeological sites, lava fields and volcanic calderas, within the park is located the town of Parinacota with its colonial church. The headwaters of Lauca River are also found within the park, the international Chile Route 11 passes through this protected area. It runs from Chile Route 5 in the vicinity of Arica to Tambo Quemado Pass, the park lies within the Central Andean dry puna ecoregion. Several species of animals and plants can be found in the park, mammals in the area include vicuñas, llamas, alpacas, guanacos, tarucas, cougars and vizcachas. There are over 140 bird species, making it one of the best national parks for birding in Chile and those include puna ibis, Andean goose, giant coot, puna tinamou, silvery grebe, crested duck, puna teal, Andean condor and Chilean flamingo. Over 400 species of plants grow in Lauca National Park. The parks vegetation is adapted to the harsh environment, as are the bofedales, llaretales. Parque Nacional Lauca World Database on Protected Areas entry WCMC Site Sheet
6.
El Tatio
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El Tatio is a geyser field located within the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at 4,320 meters above mean sea level. Its name comes from the Quechua word for oven and it is among the highest-elevation geyser fields in the world. El Tatio has over 80 active geysers, making it the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and its geysers erupt to an average height of about 75 centimetres, with the highest eruption observed being around 6 metres. The site is a major tourist attraction, visitors generally arrive at sunrise when each geyser is surmounted by a column of steam that condenses in the cold air. The steam plumes disappear as the air warms up and it is also possible to bathe in the hot geyser water in a small pool. There is wreckage at the site from an old project for harnessing geothermal power, the idea has recently been revived by the Chilean government and is meeting with heavy public resistance due to the touristic value the geyser field represents. In September 2009 an operating malfunction occurred in well No.10 caused a 60-meter high artificial fumarole to develop, the exploration of El Tatio is controversial, because the area is a major tourist attraction. com
7.
South American gray fox
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The South American gray fox, also known as the Patagonian fox, the chilla or the gray zorro, is a species of Lycalopex, the false foxes. It is endemic to the part of South America. The South American gray fox is a small canid, weighing 2.5 to 5.45 kilograms. The head is reddish-brown flecked with white, the ears are large and there is a distinct black spot on the chin. The pelage is brindled, with guard hairs and a short. The limbs are tawny and the thighs are crossed by a dark bar, the long, bushy tail has a dark dorsal stripe and dark tip with a paler, mottled underside. The South American gray fox is found in the Southern Cone of South America, particularly in Argentina and its range comprises a stripe, both sides of the Andes Mountain Range between parallels 17ºS and 54ºS. In Argentina, this species inhabits the western region of the country. South from the Río Grande, the distribution of the fox widens reaching the Atlantic coast, in Chile, it is present throughout the country. Its presence in Peru has been mentioned, to date, however, the South American gray fox occurs in a variety of habitats, from the warm, arid scrublands of the Argentine uplands and the cold, arid Patagonian steppe to the forests of southernmost Chile. The diet varies in different parts of its range and at different times of year and it consists mainly of mammals, birds, arthropods, bird eggs, reptiles, fruit and carrion. The main prey items seem to be mammals, especially rodents. Fruits eaten include Cryptocarya alba, Lithraea caustica and Prosopanche spp, the South American gray fox breeds in late austral fall, around March. After a gestation period of two months, two to four kits are born in a den, not much else is recorded about its lifestyle. The South American gray fox is a solitary animal that has long been hunted for its pelt. The foxes sometimes go near human habitations in search of such as chickens and sheep. They are useful in their role as scavengers of carrion and as dispersers of the seeds of the fruit they eat, where their ranges overlap, the South American gray fox is in competition with the larger culpeo fox. These prey animals are partitioned between two species, with the gray fox being excluded from the best prey territories by the larger culpeo
8.
Atacama Desert
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The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a 1, 000-kilometre strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is the driest non-polar desert in the world, according to estimates, the Atacama Desert proper occupies 105,000 square kilometres, or 128,000 square kilometres if the barren lower slopes of the Andes are included. Most of the desert is composed of terrain, salt lakes, sand. The National Geographic Society considers the area of southern Peru to be part of the Atacama Desert. Peru borders it on the north and the Chilean Matorral ecoregion borders it on the south, to the east lies the less arid Central Andean dry puna ecoregion. The drier portion of this ecoregion is located south of the Loa River between the parallel Sierra Vicuña Mackenna and Cordillera Domeyko, to the north of the Loa lies the Pampa del Tamarugal. The Coastal Cliff of northern Chile west of the Chilean Coast Range is the topographic feature of the coast. The geomorphology of the Atacama Desert has been characterized as a low-relief bench similar to a giant uplifted terrace by Armijo and co-workers. The intermediate depression forms a series of basins in much of Atacama Desert south of latitude 19°30’ S. North of this latitude the intermediate depression drains into the Pacific Ocean. Although the almost total lack of precipitation is the most prominent characteristic of the Atacama Desert, in 2012, the altiplano winter brought floods to San Pedro de Atacama. On 25 March 2015, heavy rainfall affected the part of the Atacama desert. Resulting floods triggered mudflows that affected the cities of Copiapo, Tierra Amarilla, Chile, Chanaral, the Atacama Desert is commonly known as the driest non-polar place in the world, especially the surroundings of the abandoned Yungay town. The average rainfall is about 15 mm per year, although some locations, such as Arica and Iquique, moreover, some weather stations in the Atacama have never received rain. Periods of up to four years have been registered with no rainfall in the sector, delimited by the cities of Antofagasta, Calama and Copiapó. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971, the Atacama Desert may be the oldest desert on earth, and has experienced extreme hyperaridity for at least 3 million years, making it the oldest continuously arid region on earth. The long history of aridity raises the possibility that supergene mineralisation, under the conditions, can form in arid environments. This desert is so arid, many mountains higher than 6,000 m are free of glaciers. Only the highest peaks have some permanent snow coverage, the southern part of the desert, between 25 and 27°S, may have been glacier-free throughout the Quaternary, though permafrost extends down to an altitude of 4,400 m and is continuous above 5,600 m
9.
Salar de Talar
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Salar de Talar is a 46 square kilometres salt flat located in the high puna of northern Chilean Andes, at an altitude of 3,950 m. It is part of a series of lakes and salt flats located at the foothills of a chain of volcanoes stretching along the eastern side of the much greater Salar de Atacama. The closed drainage basin of Salar de Talar encompasses about 476 km² and is adjacent to other basins, including Laguna Miscanti, Laguna Tuyajto. The salty flat is bordered on the west by Caichinque and on the east by Cerro Medano and this latter is a mountain with striking shades of grey and brown, which contrast nicely with the sparkling white of the salt flats surface. On top of that, colorful ponds fringe its shores, an important lava flow from the Caichinque volcanic complex formed two lobes which advanced into Salar de Talar
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chile". Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 142.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the 
This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/.
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