When it comes to the world's narrow and slender countries, many people's first reaction is Vietnam, the mainland's neighbor. Vietnam is located on the east side of the Indochina Peninsula, 1600 kilometers long from north to south, 50 kilometers at the narrowest point from east to west, however, although Vietnam is long, it is slightly insufficient in "narrow", Vietnam's real shape is more like a dumbbell, narrow in the middle and two large ends, one end is the Red River Delta, the other is the Mekong Delta.
Map of Vietnam, some say like a seahorse
So, is there a country that is more narrow and long than Vietnam? Well, this is Chile in South America.
Chile is located in the southwest of South America, with a population of 19.2 million in 2021 and a land area of 756,000 square kilometers. How long is it? The north-south length is more than 4,300 kilometers, nearly three times that of Vietnam, and almost the entire South America, so to speak, this span is equivalent to the distance from Mohe River in the northernmost part of Heilongjiang Province on the mainland to the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, which shows how long, but its east-west distance is only more than 300 kilometers, and the narrowest point is less than 100 kilometers. If the map is printed, its aspect ratio can reach more than 5:1, if the map is 20 cm wide, its length will reach 1 meter, if the map information is more detailed, I am afraid to reach two meters, a wall can not be hung up, so printing a map in Chile is also a trouble.
Map of Chile, indeed long enough
Put Chile on the continental map, and it looks like this
So why is Chile so long? Speaking of which, at the beginning of independence, Chile was not so long, and then first through the South American Pacific War to advance the territory to the northern part of the Atacama Desert, and then through the southern expansion war to advance the territory to the southern tip of the South American continent, the eastern part because of the natural barrier Andes Mountains, which limited the pace of Chile's expansion, so far, Chile has turned itself into a "bamboo pole".
The map of Chile in the early days of independence was still relatively short
With such a large span of north and south, the first thing that brings is the difference in the environment. Northern Chile is a large desert inaccessible - the Atacama Desert, which is very dry due to special climatic conditions and is called the "dry pole". The south leads directly to Antarctica, and the southernmost point is only 800 kilometers from Antarctica, which is an extremely cold plateau. The north and south ends are sparsely populated because of the special geographical environment that is very unfavorable to human habitation. Only the central part has a suitable climate, abundant rainfall, and some plains are distributed, which is suitable for human survival. It is such a country with a small land area and relatively harsh natural conditions, but it has become one of the richest countries in South America. What exactly is the reason?
Topographic map of Chile
Chile can become a rich country in South America thanks to its special national conditions, although it has brought dry deserts and cold plateaus, but also because of this unique geographical environment, Chile has brought different development conditions.
First of all, although the south is directly connected to Antarctica, it is an alpine area that is not suitable for human habitation, but this unique geographical environment makes Chile have unique tourism resources. Due to the lack of people, it has preserved the most pristine natural scenery and has become an excellent tourist destination, and many tourists come every year to experience the highland glaciers and Antarctic style of South America. The development of tourism has contributed significantly to Chile's economy.
The southernmost point of Chile is quite close to Antarctica, and members of scientific expeditions to Antarctica often transit in Chile
Secondly, although the north is a vast desert, it is also a blessing in disguise, and the desert hides a huge amount of mineral resources saltpeter ore. This saltpeter belt is 750 kilometers long and 23-30 kilometers wide, and Chile makes huge profits from mining and selling saltpeter every year. Since Chile is the only country in the world with natural saltpeter, it almost monopolizes the world saltpeter market. The production and export of saltpeter contributes a large amount of GDP to Chile.
At the same time, the northern region is also rich in copper reserves, and the copper belt extends from the north to the middle. According to statistics, Chile's proven copper reserves are about 200 million tons, accounting for 30% of the world's total reserves, which is the sum of the second place Australia and the third place Peru, copper mine is Chile's second largest mineral resources in addition to saltpeter resources, about 20% of Chile's GDP comes from copper production. Relying on saltpeter and copper ore resources is enough to support Chile as a rich country.
Open-pit copper mine in Chile
In addition, the central part is a plain area with more rainfall, so it is suitable for the development of animal husbandry and forestry. It is also suitable for the growth of various fruits, people grow cherries, grapes, etc., these fruits are produced in large quantities, and they are exported to all over the world while meeting their own needs, especially in the Chinese market, Chilean cherries are very popular.
Chilean cherries are rich in juice
Because Chile's territory stretches along the Pacific Ocean, the coastline is extremely long, more than 6,400 kilometers, and under the influence of El Niño, it has obtained unique conditions for fishing and farming. Chile has a strong development of fisheries along the Pacific coast, known as "Peruvian fishing grounds", producing mainly salmon and trout, making it the largest producer of salmon and trout in the world. The development of fishing has also brought good profits to Chile.
Chile's fishing port
In short, due to Chile's rich mineral resources, unique geographical environment, developed planting, fishery, and animal husbandry, the economy is stable and prosperous all year round. In 2021, Chile's total GDP was $316.9 billion, ranking third in South America, with a per capita GDP of $16,070, ranking second in South America after Uruguay and a step away from the standard of $20,000 per capita in developed countries.
Therefore, although Chile does not have advantages in land area and geographical conditions, the area suitable for the population is small, and the narrow and long land is not conducive to unified management, and it is difficult to form a strong cohesion. According to common sense, such a country is difficult to develop, but Chile's narrow length has brought it irreplaceable and diversified geographical conditions, making Chile develop rapidly in mineral resources development, animal husbandry, fishery and tourism, and has become one of the richest countries in South America.
Source: Katsuko loves to chase dramas