“Hello from Chile!” Friend, February 2026, 8–9.

Hello from Chile!

Chile is on the west coast of South America. Almost 20 million people live there. Chile’s official language is Spanish.

Long and Skinny

Chile is one of the longest countries in the world! It stretches more than 2,650 miles (4,265 km) from north to south and has an average width of only about 110 miles (175 km).

Giant Earthquake

The strongest earthquake ever recorded (9.5 on the Richter scale) took place near Valdivia, Chile.

Dry Desert

The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is one of the driest deserts in the world. Some parts of it have never gotten rain.

Penguins!

Chile is home to several different kinds of penguins, including Humboldt, Magellanic, southern rockhopper, and king penguins.

Easter Island

Chile’s Easter Island has almost 1,000 large sculptures made of volcanic stone. These are called the moai, and they were created hundreds of years ago.