FROM CHILE - LATIN AMERICA

The following are quoted from http://www.sovereignman.com/, from the words of John Cobin, correspondent for sovereignman.com :-

In the Age of Turmoil, places like Chile make great sense as a place to plant sustainable (or resilient) communities, or to have a second home which serves as an escape hatch from ever-imposing First World economic misery. 

There are things help make Chile an attractive place to live or have as a home base. At the very least these things should make any businessman stop and take notice of the potential opportunities that the country affords. 

Here are some of highlights about the country :

First, Chileans work more hours (2,068 hours per year per employee) than anyone in the world besides people in South Korea and Greece. What is more, after falling in 2009 and 2010, Chilean work productivity rose 3% in 2011.

Second, according to the Financial Development Report of the OECD, among those countries in the world with high middle incomes per capita, Chile was ranked in second place in the category of banking system stability.

Third, Chileans have many reasons to be proud of their medical care system, which has helped generate the highest life expectancy in Latin America and has minimized problems with children's malnutrition. The country has more medical school graduates than Israel or Japan and, equal with the United States, boasts 6.5 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants.

Fourth, Chilean has some of the cleanest water in the world, ranked alongside of Holland and Switzerland in this category. Chile is in the top ten in sewage treatment, beating out the United States, Canada and Sweden.  Having a good water system greatly reduces potential disease problems and helps recoup public spaces near the ocean shoreline, lakeside areas and river banks.

Fifth, Chilean fruit is now famous all across the world. The National Society of Agriculture highlighted that more Chilean grapes are sold than those from any other place on earth.

Chile leads the world in exports of plums, avocados and blueberries, and is in the top five countries for exports of cherries and apples.  Local wines are also world leaders, being bested only by European and South African producers.

Furthermore, Chile ranks among the top five exporters of pork products in the world. 

Sixth, Chile led all Latin American countries in the category of Internet penetration with 42%. Uruguay and Argentina registered 34%, while Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru came in at 21% (according to a study by Havas Digital sponsored by the BBC). Moreover, Chile shares the distinction (along with Argentina and Venezuela) of having 100% cellular telephone penetration.

Seventh, Chile was ranked first in Latin America and one of the best overall in the world for competitiveness (according to a study by the World Economic Forum). Chile was tied for first place in the world for controlling inflation and holds sixth place in controlling public debt.

Its quality of institutions was found to be excellent. Public finance is healthy, people have confidence in public policies and government actions tend to be transparent.

The government does not pay agricultural subsidies, helping Chile earn a ranking of tenth place in this category around the world, and there are hardly any entry barriers caused by import tariffs.

Chile also features a good business banking environment, notably in its well-developed loan and credit market. Competitive businesses in Chile have a chance to thrive, and that is good news for Chile's future.

Finally, curiously, 39% of Chile people over the age of 15 are single. This figure is equaled in South Korea, but both countries have a much higher figure than most other countries like Mexico (33%), Spain (30%), New Zealand (30%), Slovakia (30%), France (29%) or Brazil (30%). The OECD country average is 26%.

Chile also has a relatively low percentage of married people (also 39%), and a relatively high percentage of people who live together, are widowed, separated or divorced (22%).

Thus, for those seeking to be married, Chile could be fertile ground for finding a mate given that such a high percentage of people are not married.