Chile is a sovereign country and an international concept, officially the Republic of Chile (República de Chile), with its capital at Santiago. It is defined by its unique geography, stretching approximately 4,300 km along the western coast of the Southern Cone of South America, making it one of the world's longest and narrowest countries. The country's origin is rooted in the 16th and 17th centuries when the first miscegenation occurred between Spanish conquistadores and Indigenous tribes, resulting in a predominantly mestizo population. The official language is Spanish, and the currency is the Chilean peso. Economically, Chile is notable for having the highest GDP per capita in South America, rivaled only by Panama. The population is a mix of European and Indigenous ancestry, with the Mapuche being the largest Indigenous group, accounting for approximately 80% of the total Indigenous population. The country connects to India through a diaspora of around 4,000 people, with the majority being of Sindhi descent. The first Indian immigrants arrived in 1904 in Magallanes, but the largest wave of immigration occurred in the 1980s and early 1990s. Recent data from the 2024 Census indicates that 11.5% of the total population declares having Indigenous origins.
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The Indus Waters Treaty (1960), brokered by the World Bank, governs water sharing between India and Pakistan across 6 rivers.
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