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Why is Chile so long?

unchartedterritories.tomaspueyo.com

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Re: Why is Chile so long?

#161

Post by pferde »

tim333 wrote: post #142
gottorf wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just so many different climate zones, and all in relatively close proximity. Another place like this, perhaps lesser in scale, is the Big Island of Hawaii. Its latitude means the trade winds are blowing from the same direction year-round, bringing moisture to the windward side (e.g. Hilo, HI with 120" average annual rainfall) and leaving the leeward side dry (e.g. Kailua-Kona, HI with under 20" average annual rainf…

Tenerife is a bit like that. 12k feet at the top.

Yes, Tenerife is awesome, a different biome almost every few kilometers. I've been there hiking several times, and I always see something new!

Re: Why is Chile so long?

#162

Post by Suppafly »

flobosg wrote: post #118
Suppafly wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to google, I'm surprised that it's 3, I would have assumed that it was just one since it's so narrow.

Everybody forgets Easter Island! (And the other one in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica region was added not long ago, 2017 IIRC.)

I assume maybe the other one is to align more closely with Argentina or something? If you look at the time zone map, they just as easily could have had the whole mainland country on one timezone. Bolivia, Paraguay, and parts of Brazil share the same timezone as the northern part of Chili and are just as far east as the southern parts of Chili.

Easter Island makes sense, you don't necessarily expect islands that are far away to share the mainlands timezone. Antarctica is one that probably catches a lot of people since most time zone maps don't even bother to include it and there is no real population there.

Re: Why is Chile so long?

#163

Post by returningfory2 »

A_D_E_P_T wrote: post #154
dheera wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I travelled to Chile earlier this year and visited Atacama and Torres de Paine. The thing that boggled my mind was that you can't drive between the two without a very long detour through Argentina. Chile has literally no road linking the northern part with the southernmost part without going outside the country. It is also mind boggling that rail is not more popular there. A long, slim country is ideal for high speed…

I tried to cross the border into Argentina north of Puerto Montt. I wanted to check out the Argentinian side for a day or two. But they wouldn't let me across the border with my rental car, and I got turned back. I suppose the rules are a little bit different in the far south?

If you want to bring a Chilean rental car into Argentina you need to obtain and pay for a specific permit at least a few days before you pick up the rental car. Maybe that was missing? When I crossed the border they were very thorough with checking this permit.

Re: Why is Chile so long?

#164

Post by lukan »

flobosg wrote: post #103
lukan wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Mainly because the nature isn't changing itself for the tourists." Yes, but some tourists change the nature by leaving their garbage etc.

Or by burning it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torres_del_Paine_National_Park...

That sounds bad, but in the end:

"Nevertheless, recent paleoenvironmental studies performed within the Park indicate that fires have been frequent phenomena at least during the last 12,800 years."

So fires are a normal thing there, or they have tourists since 12,800 years ..

Re: Why is Chile so long?

#165

Post by OJFord »

TremendousJudge wrote: post #77
dheera wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I travelled to Chile earlier this year and visited Atacama and Torres de Paine. The thing that boggled my mind was that you can't drive between the two without a very long detour through Argentina. Chile has literally no road linking the northern part with the southernmost part without going outside the country. It is also mind boggling that rail is not more popular there. A long, slim country is ideal for high speed…

>It is also mind boggling that rail is not more popular there That would require the upper class to mix with the poor. Not acceptable in Chile.

Barely, different classes of carriage?

I don't know anything about the history of trains or carriages, but in the heyday of railway development in Britain (iron rails, steam locomotive, etc.) it would have been far less acceptable than today too. And still all trains I'm aware of/have been on have two classes of carriage. Indian trains have several, and similar cultural need for that I imagine (I don't really know anything about Chile).

Re: Why is Chile so long?

#166

Post by aeyes »

eatonphil wrote: post #11

The article mentions it, but I only learned recently that Bolivia did not used to be landlocked. Chile took Bolivia's coastline somewhat recently (late 1800s/early 1900s). > The dispute began in 1879, when Chile invaded the Antofagasta port city on its northern border with Bolivia as part of a dispute over taxes. Within four years Chileans had redrawn the map of South America by taking almost 50,000 square miles of B…

Chile could have been even longer, during the war the Chilean army took Lima.

Re: Why is Chile so long?

#168

Post by flobosg »

Suppafly wrote: post #162
flobosg wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everybody forgets Easter Island! (And the other one in the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica region was added not long ago, 2017 IIRC.)

I assume maybe the other one is to align more closely with Argentina or something? If you look at the time zone map, they just as easily could have had the whole mainland country on one timezone. Bolivia, Paraguay, and parts of Brazil share the same timezone as the northern part of Chili and are just as far east as the southern parts of Chili. Easter Island makes sense, you don't necessarily expect islands that are f…

> I assume maybe the other one is to align more closely with Argentina or something?

It has to do with differences in latitude. In winter, the southernmost region of Chile[1] was completely dark at around 4 PM with the old time zone. Staying on summer time for the whole year gives its inhabitants an additional hour of sunlight.

[1]: Which includes, but is not equivalent to, Antarctica: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magallanes_Region

Re: Why is Chile so long?

#170

Post by aeyes »

29athrowaway wrote: post #21

Another interesting fact about Chile is: no compass is needed. The mountains show where the East is. If the East is to your right you are facing North, otherwise you are facing South.

The coastal mountain range reaches heights of 3000m, it's not as easy if you are in the valley in between these mountains and the Andes because you'll be surrounded by mountains.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_Coast_Range

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