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Chile´s dominant characteristic is the Andean mountain range, that begins in the
Colombian-Venezuelan Guajira and runs through the country from north to south up until Tierra
del Fuego.
Chile is a mountainous country; the plain- lands only represent twenty per cent of the
country´s surface.
Chile can be divided longitudinally (vertically) into three morphological regions: the
majestic mountain range of the Andes to the east, the Coastal mountain range to the west, and the
area of the plateau and the Longitudinal valley or Intermediate depression located between both
mountain chains. In the latitudinal sense (horizontally), there are three important geographic and
climatological regions: the northern (arid), the
central (Mediterranean), and the meridional
(temperate oceanic).
The Andean mountain range is the
widest in the northern region, where you can
find ample groups of mountains with altitudes
that are over 6,100 meters.
The intermediate depression is occupied
by the extensive Atacama Desert, the most arid
one in the world. It occupies part of the Intermediate depression of Norte Grande.
In the central zone, the plateau gives way to
the Longitudinal Valley which is the most populated
area in the country. The fertile area between the
Rivers Aconcagua and Biobío constitutes the
agricultural heart of Chile.