INDUSTRY AND TRADE
Chile's industry is largely based on local mineral resources, agricultural raw materials, and forestry. Industries include copper refining, nitrate products, iron smelting and steel production (in a large government-owned plant near Concepcion), oil refining, cement and various building materials, chemicals, timber and pulp, furniture and various wood products, a wide variety of food products, meat packing, fish packing and fish products, sugar, wine, and beer. There is also a large textile, clothing, and leather industry. Industry is mainly concentrated in and around four main urban centers: Santiago, the largest industrial center (in which 20 percent of the local labor force is employed in industry), Valparaiso, Concepcion, and Valdivia. Government policy encourages the establishment on new industries in sparsely inhabited regions, especially in the south. Fifteen percent of the workforce is employed in industry.
The main trading partners are the United States (which takes 22% of exports and provides 20% of imports), Japan (9 and 10 percent), Germany (10 and 8 percent), and Brazil (7 and 8 percent).
Cooper accounts for 42 percent of the exports, other minerals (gold, iron, nitrate, titanium, and others) approximately 20 percent, fresh fruit 10 percent, fish and fish products 7 percent, and pulp and paper 6 percent.
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