Chile is a land of extremes, running down the southwestern coast of South America for 2,700 miles from arid desert in the north to vast icefields in the far south, with an average width of barely 100 miles.

Roughly twice the size of Germany, Chile is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by Argentina and Bolivia, and by Peru in the north.

Chile’s varied geography includes a large portion of the Andes range which runs north to south through the spine of the country. The mysterious Easter Island is found far out in the Pacific Ocean. To the north is the Atacama, the most arid desert on earth; there are famous cities and productive vineyards in the centre;  temperate rainforests, beautiful lakes and indigenous Mapuche communities and Chiloe Island are found further to the south, and fjords, glaciers, ice fields and vast wild steppe landscapes can be seen in the far south.  Pumas can be seen in the far south’s Torres del Paine National Park, a land of spectacular beauty.

Santiago is the country’s capital and the largest city in terms of population and employment. It is one of the most modern capital cities on the continent and is the country’s main political, economic, cultural and industrial centre.

With such variety, Chile is without doubt one of South America’s greatest destinations.