Because Chile extends from a point about 625 kilometers north of theTropic of Capricorn to a point hardly more than 1,400 kilometers north of the Antarctic Circle, within its territory can be found a broad selection of the Earth's climates.
In 1950,CORFO defined, following criteria of geographic and economic homogeneity, six regions incontinental Chile:Norte Grande,Norte Chico,Núcleo Central,Concepción y La Frontera,Los Lagos andLos Canales.[1]
Although this territorial division was never used to define administrative entities (as the currentRegions of Chile), thenatural regions continue to be used for reference purposes.
These natural regions are ordered from north to south and reduced to five natural regions:[2]
the Pacific, its own distinct topography.
| Natural Regions | Regions of Chile | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Norte Grande (Far North) | Arica & Parinacota Region | Desert climate with areas of extreme aridity.Coastal cliffs, highcoast range, intermediate depression andAndes.Plateaus in the Andes.Salt flats,copper andsaltpeter deposits in the interior.Puna grassland with summer precipitation in the eastern fringes. |
| Tarapacá Region | ||
| Antofagasta Region | ||
| NorthAtacama Region | ||
| Copiapó River (27° S) | ||
| Norte Chico (Near North) | SouthAtacama Region | Semi-arid climate.Coast range and Andes merge,transversal east-west valleys instead of intermediate depression. Agriculture limited to narrow valley bottoms. Periodicflowering in parts of the desert.No volcanism. Important gold, copper andiron deposits. |
| Coquimbo Region | ||
| NorthValparaíso Region | ||
| Aconcagua River (33° S) | ||
| Zona Central (Central Chile) | SouthValparaíso Region | Mediterranean climate andMatorral vegetation. The Andes is massive and high.Coast range and Andes lose height as they separate from each other to the south, fertile intermediate depression. Summer runoff of large rivers is heavily dependent on glacier and snowmelt. |
| Santiago Metropolitan Region | ||
| O'Higgins Region | ||
| Maule Region | ||
| Ñuble Region | ||
| NorthBío-Bío Region | ||
| Bío-Bío River (37° S) | ||
| Zona Sur (Southern Zone) | SouthBío-Bío Region | Temperate oceanic climate andValdivian vegetation.Coast range and Andes are low, intermediate depression near sea level.Lakes of glacial origin, intensive volcanic and geothermal activity. |
| Araucanía Region | ||
| Los Ríos Region | ||
| NorthLos Lagos Region | ||
| Chacao Channel (42° S) | ||
| Zona Austral (Austral Zone) | SouthLos Lagos Region | Subpolar oceanic climate in the west and steppe climate in the east.Magellanic forest andMagellanic moorland vegetation in the west, grasslands in the east. Glacial landscape;Coast range consists of islands, intermediate depression absent or under sea level.Fjords andice fields in the Andes. |
| Aisén Region | ||
| Magallanes Region | ||
Most of the region is covered by theAtacama Desert and has a dry arid climate. Thecoast range has peaks over 2000 m andends in cliffs in the coast.[3] There are largesalt flats in the Intermediate depression and the Andes. Norte Grande has Chile's highest mountains includingOjos del Salado (6,891 m) but host also theAltiplano andpuna high plateaus.
The region hassemi-arid climate, characterized by the transition from theAtacama Desert to theMediterraneanMatorral vegetation. Thecoast range and the Andes merges in this zone leaving no space for the Intermediate depression which is "replaced" by several transversal (east-west) valleys. The lack of anintermediate depression and absence of volcanic activity are believed to be the result of theflat-slab subduction of theJuan Fernández Ridge.
Mediterranean climate, vegetation of theChilean Matorral. The Intermediate Depression of central Chile extends from Santiago to the south as a fertile region and is considered the agricultural heartland of Chile. After theDestruction of Seven Cities (1598–1604), all major settlements within the colonial Captaincy General of Chile came to be confined in central Chile, excepting onlyLa Serena and theChiloé Archipelago.
Temperate oceanic climate, vegetation ofValdivian temperate rain forests. Thecoast range is lower than further north with no peak over 1,500 m. The Intermediate depression is close to sea level. There are features from thelast glacial maximum in the Andes and the Intermediate depression such as moraines andglacial lakes. Intensive volcanism in the Andes in form of volcanoes andhot springs.
Covers all of Chilean Patagonia, and theChiloé Archipelago. Zona austral has asubpolar oceanic climate and a vegetation ofMagellanic subpolar forests in the west andPatagonian grasslands in the east. The formerPatagonian Ice Sheet have eroded thecoast range so that it now of islands and is not present south ofTaitao Peninsula. The Intermediate depression is under the sea level.Fjords penetrate the Andes where there are also two ice sheets and several glacial lakes.
| Natural regions |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Not included | ||