Chile is situated in South America, bounded by Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, the Antarctic and the Pacific Ocean. Home of the Andes mountain range, it is a thin ribbon of land, 4200km (2610 miles) long and nowhere more than 180km (115 miles) wide. Arica, near the northern border with Peru, is an excellent tourist centre. It has good beaches and the famous San Marcos Cathedral. Chile's central region and the islands feature the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, rolling green fields, vineyards and orange groves.
The modern capital city, Santiago, has a good range of hotels to suit all tastes and pockets. Easter Island, west of the mainland, is famous for the Moai, gigantic stone figures found all over the island. National dishes include empanada (meat, chicken or fish, with onions, eggs, raisins and olives inside a flour pastry) and humitas (seasoned corn paste, wrapped in corn husks and boiled). Chile is, of course, famous for its wine and pisco is a powerful liqueur also distilled from grapes. While many restaurants and hotels offer entertainment there are also a number of independent discotheques, nightclubs and late night cabaret spots.
