Chile is the world's largest exporter of copper.
Copper has been central to Chile's economy for more than a century. The country sits along the mineral-rich Andes, where large porphyry copper deposits support enormous open-pit mines. Famous operations include Chuquicamata and Escondida, the latter one of the world's largest copper mines.
Chile's export portfolio includes both refined copper cathodes and copper concentrates shipped abroad for smelting and refining. The state-owned Codelco, created in 1976 after the nationalization of major mines, is one of the industry's defining institutions, while private companies also operate major deposits.
A common mix-up is confusing the largest producer or exporter with the country possessing the largest reserves; Chile has historically ranked first in all three categories, although rankings can vary by product definition and year. Peru is also a major South American copper producer, but Chile is the standard answer to this quiz question.