23°38S 70°24W, pop (2000e) 249 100. Port and capital of Antofagasta region, Chile; largest city in N Chile; developed with 19th-c mineral and agricultural trade; airport; railway; 2 universities; exports nitrates and copper; metal refining; huge anchor high in mountains was used as navigational aid by shipping; regional, geological, and anthropological museums; public gardens and beaches, sports stadium.
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.
Antofagasta lies in the Atacama Desert, among the Earth's driest regions.
Mejillones is a small port 65 km to the north, on the northern part of Península de Mejillones.
History
According to archaeological records, Antofagasta was inhabited in the first instance for guys, marine recollectors.
The city of Antofagasta, although 1868 was founded by the Bolivian government in, was already populated previously as(like) port of unloading(disembarkation) and as(like) a place of refuge and rest on the coast boliviana for the explorers chilenos.
Previously to the local poblamiento, Juan López, who the first inhabitant of the city is considered, settled in the sector of White Rock , today known as(like) The Chimba, where it began the extraction of minerals of a precarious way.
On September 18 of 1866, José Santos Ossa and Francisco Puelma they achieved the legal awarding of the authorization of areas salitrales, after a request sent to the Bolivian government.
On March 19 of 1868 constituted it Company Melbourne Clark , after the integration of Chilean and English interests.
After the earthquake of Iquique and Ridge-tile of August 13 of 1868, it was necessary to recognize legally The Chimba as(like) a mining town. The first official plane of the population and port of Antofagasta [José Santos Prada] was designed for , September 14 of 1869 .
May 8 of 1871, Antofagasta was designated Major Port opened for the commerce of the whole world(everybody).
On January 25 of 1872, after a meeting(session) directed by the Subprefect of the Department of Mussels Manuel Buitrago, founded the Municipality of Antofagasta in accordance with the Bolivian law of Municipalities, where the Body of Municipal Agents(Reagents) was content (later renamed as(like) Municipal Meeting of Antofagasta), integrated(repaid) by two Germans, English and six Chileans.
After that Manuel Mariano Melgarejo was demolished for Agustín Morales January 15 of 1871, 1866 Border Treaty it was put in check by the government of Bolivia, without being admitted on this part, since the division of taxes was disadvantageous to the Bolivians. The decision of the assembly was translated directly as(like) a violation of the article IV of the Agreement of 1874:
The conflict begun to be tensed, since none of the parts wanted to yield: not even Bolivia wanted to remove either the tax, or Chile to stop protesting for him(it).
Chile threatened to declare the neighboring agreements void of 1866 and 1874 if Bolivia was applying the tax.
After that Hilarión Daza will threaten Chile with the confiscation and auction of the facilities of the Company of Salitres and Railroads of Antofagasta if the tax was not paid created (in addition to threatening with the term(end) of other authorizations), the Chilean government reacted making to weigh anchor to " Armored Blanco Encalada " from the port of Valparaiso, December of 1878. The Bolivian government interpreted as a provocation that " Armored Blanco Encalada " should dawn in the inlet of Antofagasta December 26 of the same year.
The conflict worsened when the Bolivian government decided to finish off the Company of Salitres and Railroads of Antofagasta, who refused to pay the tax. In response, Chile decided to support anchored(searched) to " Armored Blanco Encalada " in the port of Antofagasta. The reception of the telegram sent by the plenipotentiary minister of Bolivia, with the message « " Annulment of the law of February, claim of the salitreras of the company " » cocked the decision of Spotted, the one who arranged the mailing of " Armored Admiral Cochrane " and " Corvette O'Higgins " course towards Antofagasta, to do occupation of the above mentioned city along with(near to) " Armored Blanco Encalada ".
This operation was carried out February 14 of 1879, when Antofagasta was occupied by Chile, immediately after(as a result of) desembarco of Chilean troops in Antofagasta in charge of the colonel Emilio Sotomayor.
May 26 of 1879 carried out the First naval combat of Antofagasta on behalf of Monitor Huáscar, while the Chilean troops were producing homage to the lieutenant commander Carlos Condell.
Later it was signed Pacto of truce between Bolivia and Chile of 1884, which(who) was establishing that the territory understood(comprised) between river Praises and the parallel one 23 would stay under the administration of Chile, whereas(while) to Bolivia [Arica] would allow him the access to the ports of [] and Antofagasta.
Tratado of Peace and Friendship between Chile and Bolivia, signed October 20 of 1904 and promulgated March 21 of 1905, established to perpetuity the borders between Chile and Bolivia.
Alluvium of Antofagasta of 1991, registered from June 18 of 1991, devastated with big part the city, undermining areas, harming 2.464 housings and destroying 493 constructions, all this causing material damages that in the occasion were calculated in approximately USD$ 70,000,000.
Four years later, in the dawn of on July 30 of 1995, one terremoto of 7.3 in Richter scale and with an intensity between the VIIth the VIIIth in Scale of Mercalli registered in the city.
Between his most important mining companies they find the " Mining Company of White Cloaks " (copper), " SQM " (borato s and carbonate of lithium), " Mining Company Zaldivar " (copper), " Hidden Miner " (copper) and " Atacama Minerals " (saltpeter), between others.
km to the interior of the urban area Managerial City is 20 her(it) The Black woman(Quarter note) , a complex of approximately 2,400 hectares.
Inside the radio urban, the centers of operations of multiple companies are inserted inside the Industrial Quarter , principally along the Avenue Pedro Aguirre Cerda.
The Casino and Resort Enjoy Antofagasta, after the assertion of July 14 of 2006 on the part of Supervision of Casinos of Chile , awarded the license of casino.
Trade
Until middle of year 1990, approximately, the commercial nucleus of the city he was concentrated on the heart of the city, being distributed principally along the Pedestrian Walk Arturo Prat and of the Pedestrian Walk Manuel Antonio Matta , in addition to some bordering streets.
With the creation of new projects, with the purpose(finality) of generating new poles of development for the citizenship and this way of decentralizing the city, like(as) also with the arrival of investments provenientes from other cities, the commerce antofagastino increased his demand.
The recent community equipment for the north sector of the city, escencialmente in the periphery of Square Bicentenary of the Republic, decentralized the commerce.
Also, the opening of Mall Plaza Antofagasta, September 15 of 2006, allowed that the center of the city should spread towards the coastal rim, enabling more spaces for the family and the recreation.
Another commercial nucleus is her(it) Square Emilio Sotomayor , that it concentrates a group of small craftsmen of the city.
Tourism
During the last years, Antofagasta has increased his tourist offer, like a measurement to retain the tourists who happen(pass) for the city, in the direction of other localities as(like) San Pedro de Atacama.
According to the information gathered for National Institute of Statistics (INE) and National Service of Tourism of Chile (SERNATUR) during the first semester of 2006, of a whole of 1,249,578 tourists (provenientes of the national or foreign territory) that circulated along Chile during the above mentioned period, 123.643 did it for the commune of Antofagasta, which is translated in a growth of the tourist communal flow of 31.39 % (with regard to 94,107 tourists of the previous report) .
Inside the tourist attractions Natural Monument is La Portada Natural Monument , accident geomorfológico of sedimentary rocks and fossil remains that it is provided(relies on) with a surface of 31.27 ha and that one possesses steep coasting vessel that reaches a maximum height of 52 msnm and that makes a detour to the arch of The Front.
Another tourist natural attraction is her(it) La Chimba National Reserve , that it is located approximately to 10 km to the North-East, inside the " Gorge The Chimba " (in the Mountain range of the Coast).
To 75 km to the south of the city it is located Hand of the Desert , sculpture created by the chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal. It is framed inside the commune of Antofagasta, to 275 km from the city of Antofagasta, There is inserted in Mountain range of the Andes, between 3,000 and 6,700 m asl, where they stand out Volcán Llullaillaco (6,739 m asl), the "Cerro de la Pena"(5,260 m asl) and the "Cerro Aguas Calientes" (5,060 m asl). Some of these beaches are: the " Municipal Spa ", " Beach The Trocadero ", " Beach Paradise ", " Beach The Huáscar " (to 8 km on the south), " Yellow Beach " (to 11 km on the south), " Beach The Corner " (to 26 km to the north) and " Beach Juan López " (to 36 km to the north).
Hotel trade
For the reception of the tourists, in Antofagasta approximately 56 places of accommodation exist, distributed principally between hotel it is, apart hotels, a cheap hotel it is, residential it is, and hut century.
Inside the hotel scale, one of the most ancient enclosures is Hotel Antofagasta, inaugurated November 29 of 1953. At present the building is a part of the hotel chain " Pan-American Hotel ".
During middle of year 1990, hotel multinational chains settled in the city, inside which(whom) it is possible to emphasize Radisson Hotel Antofagasta, property of the hotel chain " Radisson Hotels and Resorts ", and Holiday Inn Express Antofagasta, property of the hotel chain " Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express ".
People
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According to the information gathered in the Census applied by the National Institute of Statistics(Statisticians) (INE), the commune is possessed by a population of 296,905 inhabitants distributed in a surface of 30,718 km², of which(whom) 143,685 are women and 153,220 are men.
Transport
Antofagasta presents connection with the rest of the country by means of, marine and terrestrial air transport.
Air transport
At present, Cerro Moreno International Airport corresponds(fits) to the terminal air only one of Antofagasta and there is located in [[Brown] Hill], to the north of the city. Despite being qualified as(like) " International Regular Airport ", only this enclosure operates as(like) passengers' terminal and terminal of load for domestic flights.
Previously the city was provided(relied on) with the facilities of Airfield The Chimba , an air terminal that was inaugurated on October 11 of 1941 to lodge the flights of Línea Aérea Nacional, current LAN Chile.
Marine transport
Antofagasta is provided(relies on) with a port complex of seven places of docking, with conditions to produce(operate on) a production of 5,000,000 t of load. On March 1 of 2003, four places of docking of the wharf of Antofagasta went concesionados to the company International Antofagasta Terminal , for what at present, the city is provided(relies on) with a port of multioperations (places 1, 2 and 3) and a port of monooperations deprived (places 4, 5, 6 and 7).
The port complex possesses a connection to Railroad of Antofagasta to Bolivia (FCAB).
In the sector of Cove Colossus Cove Colossus finds at present the " Marine Soft Mechanized Terminal " (property of Escondida).
Terrestrial transport
Despite being provided with a service of bus adapted for the needs for the city, from November 28 of 2005 began to govern in an official way the plan TransAntofagasta . Inside the reshapings there is included the creation of exclusive routes, renewal of señaletica, repaving of some central streets, changes in the trips, and the homogenización of the tariffs and the design of the minibuses, which number of trip changed, for example, " 12 " to " 112 ".
The transport transit finds concentrated on winch the principal avenues of the city, due to the elongated and narrow shape of the urban entity. The only axis continued that crosses the city of north on south it corresponds(fits) to the coastal set of Agreed Jaime Guzmán, Agreed Army, Agreed Republic of Croatia, [[Agreed] Greece], Agreed José Manuel Balmaceda, Agreed Aníbal Pinto, Avenue 7th of Line(Figure) and Agreed Edmundo Pérez Zujovic (grouping known popularly as(like) Coastal Avenue), which allows the access to places as(like) Mall Plaza Antofagasta, Campus Colossus of the University of Antofagasta or the consistorial Building of the Illustrious Municipality of Antofagasta, between others. The central set of General José Miguel Carrera Avenue and Avenida Liberating Bernardo O'Higgins (known popularly as Agreed Brazil) leads to a sector where they concentrate pubs and restaurants, y that connects with Avenue Angamos, allowing the access to Estadio Regional de Antofagasta and to Campus Antofagasta of the Catholic University of the North, between other enclosures.
The city gets connected towards the north of the country for the " Route 1 ", which also allows the access to International Airport Brown Hill and to Natural Monument The Front. So much the north access that is a continuation of Agreed Salvador Allende and that gets connected with the " Route 26 " between the Gorge Snails, like the south access that corresponds(fits) to Avenue of the Mining and that gets connected with the " Route 28 " between the Gorge The Black woman(Quarter note), they serve to come to the " Route 5 ", which tunes in to the city of an indirect way to the rest of the country and which is a part of Pan-American Highway .
The commune communicates to itself with Argentina by means of Step Socompa (located to 3,875 m asl), to which(whom) it is possible to gain access by means of that of the " Route B-55 ".
Education
In the last decade, Antofagasta has experienced a strong growth as for educational offers, due to the increasing demand on the part of the population.
Also, Antofagasta is the first city of Chile that is provided(relies on) with a municipal school working inside a military enclosure: the Center of Recovery of Studies Integrated(Repaid) to the Military Instruction(Training), located to the interior of the Reinforced Regiment N°20 " The Concepcion ".
Universities
Universities October 1, 1956 began the construction of the Universidad del Norte(today Unversidad Catolica del Norte), thanks to the support of the Pontificie Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso.
On October 24, 1968 there inaugurated the Universidad de Chile, head office Antofagasta, after an agreement of university reform (approved on October 3, 1968) that meant the autonomy of the University Center north Area.
Traditional universities
Universidad de Antofagasta Universidad Catolica del Norte Universidad Arturo Prat Universidad de Los LagsPrivate universities
Universidad del Mar Universidad de La Republica Universidad Santo Tomas Universidad CentralProfessional institutes
AIEP INACAP Instituto Profesional Santo Tomas Insituto Profesional Valle CentralCenters of technical formation
ESANE del Norte CEFONOR Centro de Capacitacion en Salud Santo TomasSchools
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
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: AntofagastaThis article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
Coordinates: 23°39′S 70°24′W
Sitio web de la Ilustre Municipalidad de Antofagasta.
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