Antofagasta

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Antofagasta

For the copper-mining company named after the region, see Antofagasta plc. () is a port city in northern Chile, about 700 miles north of Santiago. It is the capital of both Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region, and according to the 2002 census has a population of 318,779. The city's name comes from either Quechua term for "town of the great saltpeter bed" or the aymara word that means "Great Salar "

Geography

Antofagasta is a long and narrow city located just south of the Península de Mejillones and north of the Cerro Coloso, 768 miles north of Valparaiso in 23°38'39S latitude and 70°24'39W longitude. The city is surrounded by steep hills that are part of Chile's Cordillera de la Costa ("mountain range of the coast") on its eastern edge, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Antofagasta lies in the Atacama Desert, among the Earth's driest regions. According to The Chilean Geological Magazine annual rainfall in the city averages less than 4 mm, and there was a period of 40 years when no rain fell at all.^*

Mejillones is a small port 65 km to the north, on the northern part of Península de Mejillones. About 25 km north of Antofagasta is Hornitos Antofagasta, a beach that attracts both tourists and locals. Tocopilla is a coastal city located 188 km north of Antofagasta. Calama, the second-largest city in the Antofagasta Region, is located 213 km northeast of the regional capital. La Negra is a medium-sized industrial complex some 10 km to the east of Antofagasta, on the Pan-American Highway.

History

The first native inhabitants were the Changos, whose fished, gathered shellfish, and hunted sea lions. The region was also part of the Incan Empire.

Founded between 1866 and 1874 as a seaport for the recently-discovered silver mines nearby, Antofagasta's original name was Peñas Blancas (Spanish for "White Boulders"). It was originally part of Bolivia as the Litoral Province but passed into Chilean hands on February 14, 1879 when it was invaded and occupied by Chilean troops. This marked the beginning of the War of the Pacific. Antofagasta is sometimes referred as the Captive Province. It had been colonized by Chileans for many years before that. The Bolivian Government has tirelessly worked on one day regaining control of its lost city.

Economy

Although Antofagasta is in a very arid zone, its development was and is still based upon extraction of raw materials found in the area, shifting from guano to potassium nitrate (saltpeter) to copper over the years. Antofagasta is now the main copper port of Chile. Antofagasta's industrial mainstay is based on providing housing and services to the mining companies and operations that surround the city.

Antofagasta's industrial complex is situated to the north of the city. The city also has a small agricultural zone in Quebrada La Chimba.

People

With a population of more than 300,000, Antofagasta is the fourth-largest city in Chile. Its inhabitants are principally Chilean, with significant Croatian and Greek minorities. As there are several large mines near Antofagasta, temporary migrant workers in the mines form a significant portion of residents.

Transportation

Antofagasta has an airport (Aeropuerto Cerro Moreno) with civilian and military operations. The city also has two seaports: one is a state port, located near downtown Antofagasta. The other is part of La Escondida copper mine and located to the south of the city, near Cerro Coloso.

To the north of the city, La Portada de Antofagasta(The Front Of Antofagasta), a natural monument, is famous for its beauty.

Education

The city has several educational facilies, both private and public.

Universities

Two major public universities (Universidad Católica del Norte and Universidad de Antofagasta) operate in the city, atracting students not only from Antofagasta but from other nortern cities like Iquique and Calama. Several private universities (Universidad del Mar, Universidad Mayor, and others) have arrived to the city from 2002. Before that year, Universidad José Santos Ossa (now disappeared) was the only one private university working in the city.

Schools

While the public schools are distributed almost uniformally all over the city, the private schools operate mainly in the central and southern part of the city, where the most wealthy inhabitants reside.

Sources

Cities in Chile

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