Chile is situated in South America, surrounded by Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, the Antarctic and the Pacific Ocean. Home of the Andes mountain range, it is a thin strip of land, 4,200 km (2,610 miles) long and nowhere more than 180 km (115 miles) wide. The Araucarian Indians were the original inhabitants of Chile. The Spanish conquered the country in the 16th century and ruled until the country's independence in 1818.

Due to its unusual geography, Chile has an immensely diverse climate ranging from the world's driest desert in the north, through a Mediterranean climate in the centre, to a snow-prone Alpine climate in the south. Travelers will enjoy the country's plentiful fauna and flora and magnificent scenery consisting of huge glaciers, fjords, waterfalls, blue lakes and abundant national parks where trekking is a very popular activity amongst tourists.