Though Chile covers roughly the same amount territory as Texas, it is only 265 miles from east to west at its widest point. Bordered by Argentina, Bolivia and Peru and sandwiched between the Andes and the Pacific on South America's Southern Cone, Chile spans a distance north to south equal to that between Juno, Alaska and Mexico City. Chile's unique geographical orientation makes the country a haven for scientists and nature-lovers. Lauca National Park in the north, for example, is famous for its wildlife and geography, boasting over 100 different species of birds and Chungara Lake, one of the highest in the world. The glacier panoramas of Laguna San Rafael National Park in Pategonia, too, are truly majestic.

Amidst this magnificent landscape lie a variety of modern cities. The country's capital, Santiago, is a sophisticated metropolitan center of over 5 million people, accounting for a third of Chile's population. An ideal location for students, Santiago simultaneously embodies the traditional and the modern. At the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolumbino, for example, students have the opportunity to see Chinchorro mummies, which are thousands of years older than their Egyptian counterparts. Santiago is also one of the main financial centers of South America, generating 45 percent of Chile's GDP. Home to international institutions and corporations such as the Economic Commission for Latin America, Hewlett-Packard, JP Morgan, Intel, Coca-Cola, and Reuters, Santiago is truly a global business hub.

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