Chile packs in a tremendous scenic diversity along its incredibly spindly 4,669,280-yard length: vineyards, ski resorts, surfing beaches, up-to-the-minute cities, and enough Andes to last a lifetime (not to mention Melville's "marvels of a thousand Patagonian sights and sounds").

• TOTAL AREA: 756,950 sq km

• LAND AREA: 748,800 sq km

• WATER AREA: 8,150 sq km

• POPULATION: 16,134,219

• RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL%

• LANGUAGES: Spanish

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Republic

• CAPITAL CITY: Santiago

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: Chilean peso (CLP)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC -4