or anyone who has ever been fascinated by geography， the long， impossibly thin line of Chile has always produced a moment of astonishment. Chile stretches over 4，300km along the southwestern coast of South America， a distance roughly the same as that from San Francisco to New York. At the same time， its width never exceeds 240 km， making the country more than 18 times longer than its widest point.

The most obvious factor in Chile’s remarkable slenderness is the massive and virtually impassable wall of the Andes， a mountain range that contains more than 50 active volcanic peaks. In the center of the country， however， is a long and expansive river valley， a 500-mile corridor occupied in the north by vineyards and great farms and in the south by primeval forests and enchanting lakes.

Chile is a country of startling contrasts and extreme beauty， with attractions ranging from the towering volcanic peaks of the Andes to the ancient forests of the Lake District， which is the homeland of Chile’s indigenous people， the Araucanians. Chile is famous as the location of Terres del Paine， considered to be the finest nature travel destination in all of South America.

Known as the City of Eternal Spring，Arica is located at the northern tip of Chile on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. It is blessed with a mild， dry climate and waters are warm enough for swimming， making it a popular， year-round beach resort. Historically， Arica was an important trade center for products from the interior， and the Quechua and Aymara Indians still come to the city to sell traditional handicrafts. Arica is also a major transportation center， with international air links to Bolivia and Peru. Among adventure travelers， the city is best known as the starting point for excursions into the Atacama Desert.

The coastal Atacama Desert is the driest in the world and almost totally barren. The landscape of the moon offers an obvious comparison， except that the Atacama has its backdrop the towering Andes， which block tropical storms from the Amazon Basin to the east. During the time of El Nino， there can be torrential rains in some areas of the desert， causing flash floods and sudden， ephemeral bursts of vegetation.

Santiago， the capital of Chile， is the fifth largest city in South America. Today， it is one of the most modern cities on the continent， home to nearly 5 million inhabitants over a third of all Chileans. The city is one of the largest in South America and Chile’s center of commerce. Santiago is also the central point of a region filled with attractive sites and activities. Only 60 km away are the main South American ski centers， and the beautiful beaches of the Pacific are only an hour’s drive to the northwest. Just south of Santiago lie the rich and beautiful vineyards of the Maipo Valley， one of the world’s most esteemed wine producing regions.

The very heart of Santiago is the Plaza de Armas， which lies along the Alameda about five blocks south of the river. The city’s European heritage is evident in the Parque Forestal， designed by a French landscaper on the model of Parisian parks. For stunning views of the city， visitors should head to the top of Cerro San Cristobal， accessible by bus， funicular， or by a vigorous hike.

The rich and apparently limitless nature of Parque Nacional Torres del Paine provides an ideal environment for observation and exploration. The 180，000-hectare park has been designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve， protecting the guanaco that graze on the open steppes and the shy Chilean deer. Birds are especially abundant.

Also part of Chile are two notable Pacific possessions the Juan Fernandez Islands and the famous Easter Island， both of which are administered as national parks. The mystery of Easter Island and its indigenous inhabitants has intrigued travelers and archaeologists for many years. Located 3，700 km off the west coast of Chile， Easter Island is the world’s most isolated inhabited island. The island’s native name， Rapa Nui， is Polynesian. Isolated for centuries from the outside world， the people of Rapa Nui developed their own distinctive culture， a culture perhaps best known by the moai， huge figures carved of volcanic rock. Hundreds of these sculpted monoliths dot the landscape， some in imposing rows， others toppled， broken， and scarred by violence.

For those who enjoy traveling to remote unpopulated areas with snowcapped mountains， lakes， forests and fjords， you should come to Chile. You will certainly fall in love with the country’s beautiful natural landscape right away.

對于任何著迷于地理學(xué)的人來說，智利那狹長無比，如同細(xì)線般的地形總令人驚訝不已。沿著南美洲的西南海岸，智利南北延伸4300公里以上，這一距離大概相當(dāng)于從美國舊金山到紐約那么遠(yuǎn)。與此同時，智利的東西跨度絕不超過240公里，這使該國的南北長度要比東西最寬處長18倍。

造成智利如此顯著的狹長地形的最主要原因是那座高聳巨大且根本無法通行的屏障—安第斯山脈。該山脈擁有50多個活火山。而在智利中部卻是一個狹長且廣闊的河谷，全長500英里的走廊地帶分為兩部分，北面分布著葡萄園和大農(nóng)場，南面則是原始森林及迷人的湖泊。

智利是一個對比驚人且極度美麗的國度，從安第斯山脈高聳的火山到湖區(qū)的遠(yuǎn)古森林，到處都體現(xiàn)出智利的無窮魅力。湖區(qū)的遠(yuǎn)古森林還是智利土著居民—阿勞干人的集居地。智利因擁有被視為全南美洲最唯美的自然游目的地—托雷斯德爾佩恩國家公園而聞名遐邇。

被譽(yù)為“春城”的阿里卡位于智利北端的太平洋海濱上。其氣候溫和干燥，四季如春，海水溫暖，適合暢泳，因而這里是個一年四季都很有人氣的沙灘度假地。從歷史上看，阿里卡曾是一個重要的國內(nèi)商品集散地，如今蓋丘亞族人與艾馬拉人仍然來到這座城市售賣他們的傳統(tǒng)手工藝品。阿里卡也是一個主要的交通中心，其國際航班可到達(dá)玻利維亞及秘魯。對于冒險型旅行者來說，這座城市最有名的還是作為阿塔卡馬沙漠之旅的起點(diǎn)。

沿海的阿塔卡馬沙漠是“世界旱極”，那里可以說是個不毛之地。除了有高聳的安第斯山脈作為背景襯托，阿塔卡馬的風(fēng)光跟月球上的景致相似。安第斯山脈阻擋了來自東面亞馬孫盆地的熱帶風(fēng)暴。在厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象期間，沙漠的某些地區(qū)會有大量降雨，造成洪水暴發(fā)，植物在短時間內(nèi)突然茂盛起來。

智利首都圣地亞哥是南美洲第五大城市。如今，它已是全南美洲最現(xiàn)代化的城市之一，擁有近五百萬居民—即超過三分之一的全國人口。圣地亞哥是南美洲最大的城市之一，它還是智利的商業(yè)中心，同時是一個匯集各式各樣引人入勝的旅游景點(diǎn)與活動的中心地帶。離市中心60公里遠(yuǎn)便是南美最主要的滑雪中心，而要到面向太平洋的美麗海灘只需朝西北方向開一個小時的車便可到達(dá)。位于圣地亞哥南面便是米埔谷那富饒美麗的葡萄園，這里是世界上最享譽(yù)盛名的葡萄酒產(chǎn)區(qū)之一。

圣地亞哥的市中心是位于河南面的武器廣場，它沿著林蔭路跨過五個街區(qū)。整座城市的歐洲遺跡在法國庭園設(shè)計(jì)師仿照巴黎公園模型設(shè)計(jì)的森林公園中盡顯無遺。想看到絕佳的城市風(fēng)景，游客應(yīng)當(dāng)?shù)巧鲜ツ干降纳巾斠伙栄鄹＃慰涂梢源畛斯卉?、索道纜車或徒步登山。

自然資源豐富且風(fēng)光無限的托雷斯德爾佩恩國家公園是戶外觀察與探險的理想之地。占地18萬公頃的國家公園已被指定為聯(lián)合國科教文組織生物圈保護(hù)區(qū)，受保護(hù)的動物包括在空曠草原上吃草的駱馬以及害羞的智利鹿。另外，這里的鳥類資源也特別豐富。

智利還有兩個著名的位于太平洋的所屬地—胡安·費(fèi)爾南德斯群島和聞名的復(fù)活島，兩地都作為國家公園來管理。多年來，神秘的復(fù)活島及其土著居民一直吸引著游客和考古學(xué)家。位于智利西海岸3700公里以外的復(fù)活島是世界上最偏僻的有人居住的小島。當(dāng)?shù)厝朔Q它為“拉帕努伊”，這是一個玻利尼西亞名字?！袄僚痢睄u上的居民與外界隔絕了數(shù)個世紀(jì)，他們發(fā)揚(yáng)了自己獨(dú)特的文化，這種文化最出名的便可能是莫?！没鹕绞癯傻木扌褪瘛?shù)百個精雕細(xì)琢的獨(dú)塊巨石遍布在島上，一些豎立著，排成壯麗的隊(duì)列，一些則倒在地上，殘缺不全，或留有暴力造成的傷痕。

如果你喜愛到遙遠(yuǎn)且人煙稀少的地方旅游，你應(yīng)該到智利來游玩，這里有雪山、湖泊、森林以及海灣。你一定會馬上愛上這個國度美麗的自然風(fēng)光。