Coquimbo

29º54S 71º25W, pop (2001e) 146 400. Port capital of Elquí province, Coquimbo region, C Chile; birthplace of William Foxwell Albright; in 1981 heavy rains uncovered 39 ancient burials of sacrificed humans and llamas and a museum has been built to exhibit these; railway; steel church designed by Gustaf Eiffel; the recently erected Cross of the Third Millennium, 91 m/300 ft tall, rises above the town.

Coquimbo is the port city and capital of the Elqui Province in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo lies in a valley 10 km south of La Serena, forming a metropolitan area of more than 300,000 inhabitants.

The natural harbor in Coquimbo was taken over by Pedro de Valdivia from Spain in 1550. Because of the gold and copper industry in the region the city became important for the export around 1840 and many Europeans especially from England settled in Coquimbo. The city itself, a gritty industrial and shipping center, is growing quickly, registering a 32.8% growth rate from 1992 to 2002. The 2002 population, according to the Chilean census, was 154,316, with 8,720 people living in the countryside directly surrounding the city.

Tourism has started to develop in Coquimbo recently.