Tricontinental Chile

Map of Tricontinental Chile with possessions in Oceania (Easter Island), South America and Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory)

Tricontinental Chile (Spanish: Chile tricontinental) is a geopolitic concept used in Chile to denote Chile's unique position with its mainland in South America, Easter Island in Oceania and the Chilean Antarctic Territory claims in Antarctica.

Continental Chile

Mainland Chile corresponds to the strip of territory along the southwestern coast of South America and its adjacent islands. Almost the entire population lives in continental Chile. It extends from 17°30’ south latitude at the northern borders with Peru and Bolivia to the Diego Ramírez Islands at 56°30’ south latitude. Chile's maximum width of 445 km at the latitude of 52°21’, at the Strait of Magellan. Its minimum width is at 31°37’ south between Punta Amolanas and Paso de la Casa de Piedra.

Insular Chile

Insular Chile consists of a group of islands of volcanic origin located in the South Pacific far from the continental coast. In the eastern group are the Juan Fernández Islands and the Desventuradas Islands, which are grouped with South America, while Easter Island and the Isla Salas y Gómez are geographically part of Polynesia, forming part of Oceania. Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is the westernmost territory of the country, situated approximately at 27° south latitude and 109° west longitude.

Chilean Antarctica

Finally, Chile claims part of Antarctica as what is called the Chilean Antarctic Territory. This claim of 1,250,000 km² extends between the meridians of 53° and 90° west longitude and from 60° south latitude to the South Pole, partly overlapping with the claims of Argentina and the United Kingdom. Chile, as a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty System, has accepted the suspension of its claims of sovereignty without renouncing them, as well as the establishment of a conservation zone for scientific development.

If the claimed territory in Antarctica were included, the total area of Chile would be 2,006,096 km², while the distance between the northern and southern extremes would be more than 8000 km.

Between these three distinct zones is the so-called Chilean Sea; portions of the continental shelf lie within the exclusive economic zone of 200 miles.