Important Facts About Chile You Might Not Know

By: Leah Shoup

Chile possesses seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

For example, Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works and Sewell Mining Town. Torres del Paine National Park is on the tentative list.

Chile has the second-biggest swimming pool globally.

San Alfonso del Mar fits 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. It was the Guinness World Record holder for the largest swimming pool in 2006.

More than 1/3 of Chile’s population lives in Greater Santiago.

Out of 19 million people in this South American country, close to 6 million live in the capital city of Santiago, in Central Chile.

The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places in the world.

This attraction in Northern Chile ranks as the driest non-polar desert in the world.

Easter Island isn’t close to the rest of Chile.

In reality, Easter Island (home to  Rapa Nui National Park) is 2,180 miles west of continental Chile.

Chile is one of the longest countries in the world.

Flanked by the Andes Mountain Range, Chile may be the seventh-largest of the South American countries, but it's one of the longest!

In Chile, you could technically ski and surf in one day.

One of our favorite Chile facts! Travel to a ski resort in the Andes mountains and then drive to the coast to surf in the Pacific Ocean.

Chile has around 2,900 volcanoes.

One of our favorite fun facts is that you can actually hike Villarrica Volcano in the Lake District in Southern Chile.

Two Chileans have won the Nobel Prize.

Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American ever to become a Nobel Laureate in 1945. Then, Pablo Neruda was awarded the prize in 1971.

Chile is the sixth-largest wine-producing country.

The grapes most commonly grown in Chile are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenère. It's also known for its pisco sour cocktail!