Chile is a country.
Chile , is a South American country occupying a long , narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west . After declaring its independence from Spain in 1818 , Chile emerged in the 1830s as a relatively stable authoritarian republic . In the 1960s and 1970s the country experienced severe left-right political polarization and turmoil . This development culminated with the 1973 Chilean coup d'état that overthrew Salvador Allende 's democratically elected left-wing government and instituted a 16-year-long right-wing military dictatorship that left more than 3,000 people dead or missing . Chile is a founding member of the United Nations , the Union of South American Nations ( UNASUR ) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States ( CELAC ) .