The Chile Advantage
  • Highly productive Andean geology receptive for a wide variety of "World Class" deposits - not least for copper and precious metals
    • World's top producer and exporter of copper by volume and value
    • Reserves of fine copper of  > 100 M tons
    • World's 2nd producer of lithium, 3rd producer of molybdenum, 7th producer of silver, 14th producer of gold
  • The Atacama Desert of northern Chile, is sparsely populated and mining is the principal activity
  • Transparent and secure legal framework for securing exploration and mining tenement
  • One of Latin America's fastest growing economies
  • Stable political and fiscal environment that encourages foreign investment
  • Only Latin American member of the 34 country Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Doing Business in Chile

Chile tops the list in Latin America for political security, fiscal policy, transparency and business atmosphere, following 30 years of stable growth and democracy.

Chile’s economy is one of Latin America's most stable and prosperous, with the 3rd highest GDP per capita. The 2014-2015 Global Competitiveness Report (World Economic Forum) ranks Chile 33rd, topping all Latin American countries.  The 2015 Ease of Doing Business Index (World Bank) lists Chile as the 41st most competitive country in the world and the 3rd in Latin America. The 2015 Index of Economic Freedom (Heritage Foundation & The Wall Street Journal)  ranks Chile’s economy as the 7th freest and the only Latin American country in the top 25.  

Chile has one of the lowest levels of corruption among developing nations (2014 Fraser Institute report). Additionally, it is the 1st Latin American country and 14th of all the jurisdictions studied (122) with the least uncertainty concerning the administration, interpretation, and enforcement of existing regulations.

 

Mining in Chile

Progressive legislation and a healthy investment environment have made Chile the mining capital of Latin America, and one of the world’s leading mining nations, producing almost a third of the global copper output and a large number of other minerals.

The mining sector is one of the pillars of the Chilean economy. Copper exports alone account for 19% of total government income.

Mining is mostly concentrated in the Atacama Desert region of northern Chile. Products other than copper include gold, silver, molybdenum, iron and a series of industrial minerals products. 

 

 

Exploration in Chile

Chile was named as one of the top destinations for investment by mining companies (2014 Fraser Institute report), ranked 22nd out of the 122 jurisdictions surveyed. Chile ranked 15th for the current mineral potential assuming existing regulations and land use restrictions. 

Mining companies spent US$909M on exploration in Chile in 2013 (study by local copper commission "Cochilco"). Grassroots exploration accounted for 35% , while spending on brownfield activities represented nearly 40%. The remaining 25% was spent on advanced exploration. Copper received the most share of investment with 73%, followed by gold with 23%.

Quick Facts

Chile is long and thin, stretching for roughly 4,300km north-south, and is bounded to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the high parts of the Andean Mountain Belt. Chile's maximum width (E-W) is about 360Km, but the country averages widths of less than 175Km. The Capital of Chile is Santiago, located in the central part of the country.

  • Population:                       17,363,894 (2014 est.)
  • GDP:                                $281.7 billion (2013 est.)
  • Real Growth Rate:           4.4% (2013 est.)
  • Exports:                            $77.94 billion (2013 est.)
  • Trade Surplus:                  $2.24 billion (2013 est.)
Chilean Governance

Chile has a republican system of government with three separate and independent branches – the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch.  The executive branch is headed by the president who is elected to a single four-year term by popular vote.  The president is the head of state and the government.  The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of Chile which has a 38-seat Senate and a 120-member Chamber of Deputies. 

The judicial branch is independent and includes the Supreme Court of Chile, 16 regional courts of appeal, a system of military courts and a constitutional tribunal.