Chile is a geographically remarkable country that has been described as ‘a narrow, crumpled ribbon of land’. It is 2,635 miles from north to south but from east to west only 225 miles at its widest. It has the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes to the east.
Chile had long been part of the Spanish empire before it declared its independence from Spain in July 1810 and established a governing junta in September of that year. This led to a prolonged struggle before Chile finally established full independence in 1818. Chile has often honoured with stamp issues those who were instrumental in the fight for independence, such as Bernardo O’Higgins
