16 CultureShock! Chile
The Land
Not the Tropics
When people think of South America, visions of white
beaches, palm trees and tropical jungles with monkeys
usually come to mind. Some of Latin America actually
does fit that description, but not Chile. There may be palm
trees, but most have been planted; there are beaches, but
you can only sunbathe in season; the hot regions of Chile
are far too dry to sustain a jungle and the moist regions
are far too cool.The Longest Country in the World
Chile is most likely very far away from your country of
reference. Due to this distance, many people are only familiar
with the country’s strange shape. Known as the Spine of
South America, Chile is long and thin. Superimposed on a
map of the United States, Chile would stretch from northern
Maine to southern California. On a map of Europe, Chile
would stretch from Moscow to Lisbon. It is 4,270 km (2,647
miles) long, yet averages only 177 km (110 miles) across.Geographical Divisions
Although there is tremendous geographical diversity (there
is a saying that God had a little bit of everything left over
and he put it all together to create Chile), the country can be
divided conveniently into three parts. There are three distinct