Editing Antofagasta Region (section)

==History==
{{See also|History of mining in Chile}}
Antofagasta's history is divided, as the territory itself, into two sections: the coastal region, and the highlands plateau or [[altiplano]] around the [[Andes]]. In pre-Columbian times, the coastline was populated by nomadic fishing clans of [[Changos]] Indians, of which very little is known due to very limited contact with the Spanish [[conquistadors|conquerors]].

The inland section was populated by the [[Atacaman culture]] around the great dry salt lake [[Salar de Atacama]], the [[Loa River]] basin, and valleys and oases across the altiplano, with the most important settlement being the village of [[San Pedro de Atacama]].

The Atacaman culture was deeply influenced by [[Tiwanaku]] culture and later fell under [[Inca]] rule. The Atacamans harvested mainly corn and beans and developed trade as far as the [[Amazon basin]] and Pacific shores. The arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century did not destroy the culture but transformed it deeply through the process of [[mestizaje]], in which both cultures mixed. Under Spanish rule, Atacaman territory was placed under the administration of [[Royal Audiencia of Charcas|the Audiencia Real de Charcas]], though it is disputed whether the Audiencia Real de Charcas was to administer only the inland portion or the coast as well. At the time of independence general [[Simón Bolívar]] integrated it into the new Republic of [[Bolivia]], under the name of "[[Litoral Department]]". This decision was disputed by the Chilean Government and has been a source of conflict until present times. Chile claimed that according to the [[Uti possidetis]] of the Spanish crown, the coastal region belong to them and their territory bordered directly with [[Peru]].

Chilean explorers such as [[Juan "Chango" López|Juan López]] and [[José Santos Ossa]] discovered rich [[nitrate]] and [[guano]] deposits which produced a massive Chilean colonization of the coastline. Friction between the new settlers from both countries grew until 1879 when the [[War of the Pacific]] erupted. Antofagasta was permanently annexed by the Chilean government at the end of the war.

Colonization by Chileans followed mainly from [[Norte Chico, Chile|Norte Chico]] (the contemporary regions of [[Atacama Region|Atacama]] and [[Coquimbo Region|Coquimbo]], also known as the III and IV regions), into the new territories of Antofagasta and [[Tarapacá Province, Chile|Tarapacá]], known as [[Norte Grande]].

In the early 20th century the region became a significant base of Chile's union-organizing movements. It continued to depend economically on the nitrate-extraction industry until its replacement by copper mining. Two of the largest and richest open pit mines in the world are located inland from Antofagasta: [[Escondida Mine|La Escondida]] and [[Chuquicamata]].