Antofagasta

Port of northern Chile, and capital of Antofagasta region on the Pacific coast; population (2002) 285,300. The area of the region is 125,300 sq km/48,366 sq mi. Nitrates and copper from the Atacama Desert are exported, and there are ore refineries and foundries. Antofagasta was founded in 1870.

Antofagasta

Region in northern Chile, between Tarapacá to the north and Atacama to the south, which includes part of the Atacama Desert; area 126,444 sq km/48,820 sq mi; population (1996) 436,744. The capital is the city of Antofagasta, a port which is the largest city in northern Chile. There is little or no rainfall in the hostile desert environment which comprises the majority of the province; all supplies are imported to the region. The area is rich in copper and nitrate deposits, commodities which generate considerable export revenue. The underground copper mine at Chuquicamata is one of the largest in the world. Iodine, an important by-product of sodium nitrate, is also produced. Other major towns are Tocopilla, Chuquicamata, Calama, and Taltal.

The region of Antofagasta once belonged to Bolivia, but was lost to Chile as a result of the Pacific War (1879–83), fought over control of valuable nitrates. This defeat left Bolivia a landlocked country.