Editing Antofagasta Region

{{Short description|Region of Chile}}
{{Original research|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| official_name      = Antofagasta Region
| native_name        = Región de Antofagasta
| native_name_lang   = es
| settlement_type    = [[Regions of Chile|Region]]
| seat_type          = Capital
| seat               = [[Antofagasta, Chile|Antofagasta]]
| coordinates        = {{Wikidatacoord|Q2118|type:adm1st_region:CL|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Chile}}
| parts_type         = [[Provinces of Chile|Provinces]]
| parts              = [[Tocopilla Province|Tocopilla]], [[El Loa Province|El Loa]], [[Antofagasta Province|Antofagasta]]
| leader_title       = [[Intendant]]
| leader_name        = Marco Antonio Díaz
| leader_party       = [[National Renewal (Chile)|RN]]
| image_skyline      = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Antofagasta Region, Chile.svg
| flag_size          = 120px
| flag_alt           = Flag of Antofagasta Region
| image_shield       = Logo del Gobierno Regional de Antofagasta.svg
| shield_size        = 75px
| shield_alt         = Coat of Arms of Antofagasta Region
| image_map          = Antofagasta in Chile 2018.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Map of Antofagasta Region
| area_total_km2     = 126049.1
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CINVER-AN">{{cite web |url=http://www.cinver.cl/english/chile/antofagasta.asp |title=Antofagasta Region |access-date=13 March 2010 |publisher=[[Government of Chile]] Foreign Investment Committee}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
| area_rank          = 2
| elevation_min_footnotes = 
| elevation_max_footnotes = 
| elevation_max_m    = 6723
| elevation_min_m    = 0
| population_total   = 599335
| population_as_of   = 2017 census
| population_footnotes = <ref name="CINVER-AN"/>
| population_rank    = 9
| population_density_km2 = auto
| demographics_type1 = GDP (PPP)
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name=":0">[http://stats.oecd.org/ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811212613/https://stats.oecd.org/ |date=2019-08-11 }}, OECD.Stats.</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Total
| demographics1_info1 = $38.886 billion (2014)
| demographics1_title2 = Per capita
| demographics1_info2 = $63,402 (2014)
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank_info_sec1    = 0.881<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/CHL/?levels=1+4&years=2022&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0 |title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |language=en |access-date=26 October 2021 |archive-date=23 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923120638/https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |url-status=live }}</ref><br/>{{color|green|very high}}
| iso_code           = [[ISO 3166-2:CL|CL-AN]]
| website            = [http://www.goreantofagasta.cl/ Official website] {{in lang|es}}
}}
The '''Antofagasta Region''' ({{langx|es| Región de Antofagasta}}, {{IPA|es|antofaˈɣasta|pron}}) is one of Chile's [[Administrative divisions of Chile|sixteen first-order administrative divisions]].  Being the second-largest region of Chile in area, it comprises three provinces, [[Antofagasta Province|Antofagasta]], [[El Loa]] and [[Tocopilla Province|Tocopilla]]. It is bordered to the north by [[Tarapacá Region|Tarapacá]], by [[Atacama Region|Atacama]] to the south, and to the east by [[Bolivia]] and [[Argentina]]. The region's capital is the port city of [[Antofagasta]]; another one of its important cities is [[Calama, Chile|Calama]]. The region's main economic activity is [[copper mining in Chile|copper mining]] in its giant inland [[porphyry copper|porphyry copper systems]].

Antofagasta's [[climate of Chile|climate]] is extremely arid, albeit somewhat milder near the coast. Nearly all of the region is devoid of vegetation, except close to the [[Loa River]] and at oases such as [[San Pedro de Atacama]]. Much of the inland is covered by [[Salt pan (geology)|salt flat]]s, [[tephra]] and [[lava flow]]s, and the coast exhibits [[Coastal Cliff of northern Chile|prominent cliff]]s.

The region was sparsely populated by indigenous [[Changos]] and [[Atacameños]] until massive Chilean immigration in conjunction with a [[saltpeter]] boom in the later 19th century. Most of the region was organised as [[Bolivia]]'s [[Litoral Department|only coastal territory]] until Chilean takeover in 1879 at the onset of the [[War of the Pacific]].

==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]].

==Administration==
Each province in the region is further subdivided into [[Communes of Chile|communes]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
![[Provinces of Chile|Province]]
!Capital
![[Communes of Chile|Communes]]
!Other towns
|-
|rowspan=4 |[[Antofagasta Province|Antofagasta]]
|rowspan=4 |[[Antofagasta]]
|Antofagasta
|-
|[[Mejillones]]
|[[Hornitos, Chile|Hornitos]]
|-
|[[Sierra Gorda, Chile|Sierra Gorda]]
|
|-
|[[Taltal]]
|
|-
|rowspan=3 |[[El Loa Province|El Loa]]
|rowspan=3 |[[Calama, Chile|Calama]]
|Calama
|[[Ayquina]]<br>[[Caspana]]<br>[[Lasana]]<br>[[San Francisco de Chiu Chiu]]<br>[[Toconce]]
|-
|[[Ollagüe, Chile|Ollagüe]]
|
|-
|[[San Pedro de Atacama]]
|[[Socaire]]<br>[[Toconao]]
|-
|rowspan=2 |[[Tocopilla Province|Tocopilla]]
|rowspan=2 |[[Tocopilla]]
|Tocopilla
|
|-
|[[María Elena, Chile|María Elena]]
|
|}

==Geography==
[[File:Antofagasta bord galleryfull.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The city of [[Antofagasta]]]]

{{See also|Coastal Cliff of northern Chile}}
The main river is the [[Loa River|Loa]].

Along the [[Chilean Coast Range|Coastal Cordillera]] lies [[Atacama Fault]]. The area of the Coastal Cordillera around the fault is rich in iron ore constituting the northern part of the so-called [[Chilean Iron Belt]].<ref name=Tornosetal2020>{{Cite journal |title=The role of the subducting slab and melt crystallization in the formation of magnetite-(apatite) systems, Coastal Cordillera of Chile |journal=[[Mineralium Deposita]] |last1=Tornos |first1=Fernando |last2=Hanchar |first2=John M. |doi=10.1007/s00126-020-00959-9 |year=2020 |last3=Munizaga |first3=Rodrigo |last4=Velasco |first4=Francisco |last5=Galindo |first5=Carmen |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=253–278 |s2cid=212629723 }}</ref> These ore deposits are often of the manto-type deposits and are chiefly emplaced on rocks of [[La Negra Formation]].<ref name=Barraetal2017>{{cite journal |last1=Barra |first1=Fernando |last2=Reich |first2=M. |last3=Selby |first3=D. |last4=Rojas |first4=P. |last5=Simon |first5=A. |last6=Salazar |first6=E. |last7=Palma |first7=G. |date=2017 |title=Unraveling the origin of the Andean IOCG clan: a Re-Os isotope approach |journal=Ore Geology Reviews |volume=81 |issue=1 |pages=62–78 |doi=10.1016/j.oregeorev.2016.10.016 |bibcode=2017OGRv...81...62B |url=http://dro.dur.ac.uk/20115/1/20115.pdf |archive-date=2018-07-22 |access-date=2022-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722163253/http://dro.dur.ac.uk/20115/1/20115.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Climate==
[[File:A Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy Before Sunset.jpg|400px|right|thumb|Atacama Desert, vista before sunset]]

{{Further|Atacama Desert}}
The average rainfall in the [[Antofagasta (region)|Antofagasta]] is just {{convert|1|mm|in|2}} per year. From the coast, east to the [[Chilean Coast Range]], is the south-central part of the [[Atacama Desert]], the driest desert in the world. Further to the east, it is part of the less arid [[Central Andean dry puna]] ecoregion. The surroundings of abandoned Yungay town have been named the driest place in the world.<ref name=TWP>{{cite book |first=Richard G. |last=Boehm |display-authors=etal |year=2006 |title=The World and Its People |edition=2005 |publisher=Glencoe |location=Columbus, Ohio |isbn=0-07-860977-1 |pages=276 }}</ref>

==Demography==
[[File:Panorámica Puerto-Angamos Mejillones.jpg|500px|right|thumb|Overview of the Port Angamos at evening (Mejillones)]]

Most of the population lives on the coast in [[Antofagasta]] and [[Mejillones]], or in [[Calama, Chile|Calama]] in the interior, the hub of the mining industry and the home of a large part of its work force.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, immigrant settlers also arrived from Europe (mainly [[Croatians]], Italians, [[Spaniards]], [[Greeks]], English, French, and [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] peoples), from the [[Levant]], and in smaller numbers from China, Japan, [[Korea]], [[Peru]] and [[Bolivia]]. Various immigration flows joined with the culture of the altiplano region creating the modern culture of the north of Chile, which arguably presents more Andean- and multi-European-features than the [[Central Valley of Chile|Central Valley]] and mainstream Chilean culture. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stovel |first=Emily M. |title=Concepts of Ethnicity and Culture in Andean Archaeology |date=2013 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43746257 |journal=Latin American Antiquity |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=3–20 |doi=10.7183/1045-6635.24.1.3 |jstor=43746257 |s2cid=163604042 |issn=1045-6635 |archive-date=2022-06-27 |access-date=2022-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627100958/https://www.jstor.org/stable/43746257 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{See also|Copper mining in Chile|Lithium Triangle}}
[[File:Chuqui001 02.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Copper mining is the main economic generator in the region.]]

The Antofagasta Region is the heart of the mining industry, Chile's main source of export revenue. It represents 53% of Chile's mining output, led by copper and followed by [[potassium nitrate]], gold, [[iodine]], and [[lithium]], which means it could have had [[GDP per capita]] higher than [[Luxembourg]] had it had a large degree of autonomy. The mining industry regularly accounts for more than 90% of the region's exports.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Antofagasta {{!}} OEC |url=https://oec.world/en/profile/subnational_chl/antofagasta |access-date=27 June 2022 |website=OEC - The Observatory of Economic Complexity |language=en |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002214631/https://oec.world/en/profile/subnational_chl/antofagasta |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2024 mining stood for 69% of the region's [[GDP]].<ref>{{Cite report |title=Distritos productivos para el desarrollo de la minería chilena |url=https://www.sonami.cl/v2/publicaciones/distritos-productivos-desarrollo-mineria-chilena/ |trans-title=Productive districts for the development of mining in Chile|language=es |year=2025 |publisher=[[Sociedad Nacional de Minería|Centro de Estudios y Documentación Mineros de SONAMI]]}}</ref> 

[[Fishing in Chile|Fishing]] and manufacturing also contribute to the income of the area.

The availability of infrastructure and services, due to the region's mining boom, together with its abundance of beautiful natural scenery, have opened vast prospects for the travel industry, both in the interior and on the coast. Interesting tourist attractions include the small town of [[San Pedro de Atacama]], once the center of the Atacameño culture, Atacama Salt Flat, the Valley of the Moon, the Quitor Pukará, the Puritama hot springs and the numerous astronomical observatories including the [[Very Large Telescope]] and [[Atacama Large Millimeter Array|ALMA]].

==See also==
* [[2007 Tocopilla earthquake]]
* [[Atacama border dispute]]
* [[Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia]]
* [[War of the Pacific]]
* [[Norte Grande]], natural region of Chile

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.goreantofagasta.cl/ Gobierno Regional de Antofagasta] Official website {{in lang|es}}
*[https://www.capelight.com/trip/province-antofagasta-867 Touristic attractions in Antofagasta]{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} capelight.com {{in lang|en}}

{{Regions_of_Chile}}
{{Communes in Antofagasta Region}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Antofagasta Region| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Chile]]