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26-529: La Chimba National Reserve is a national reserve in Antofagasta Region of northern Chile . This article related to a protected area in South America is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Antofagasta Region location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Antofagasta Region Antofagasta's climate is extremely arid, albeit somewhat milder near

52-405: A large degree of autonomy. The mining industry regularly accounts for more than 90% of the region's exports. 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

78-594: 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 (the contemporary regions of Atacama and Coquimbo , also known as the III and IV regions), into

104-514: A unique color and hue depending on its mineral composition, its distance from the observer, and the time of day. Northward from the Atacama desert core area, some of the water from the altiplano trickles down the Andes in the form of narrow rivers, many of which form oases before being lost to evaporation or absorption into the desert sands, salt beds, and aquifers. However, some rivers do manage to reach into

130-562: Is broken by ranges of barren hills having the appearance of spurs from the Andes, and by irregular lateral ranges in the vicinity of the main cordillera enclosing elevated saline plateaus. Within the mountain ranges parallel to the main chain of the Andes, the main one is the Cordillera Domeyko and among the salt flats the greater is the Salar de Atacama . The edges of the desert in some sections have subterranean aquifers that have permitted

156-654: Is known due to very limited contact with the Spanish 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

182-686: Is one of the five natural regions into which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. It borders Peru to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Altiplano , Bolivia and Argentina to the east, and the Copiapó River to the south, beyond which lies the Norte Chico natural region. The Norte Grande, which extends from the Peruvian border to about 27° south latitude, a line roughly paralleled by

208-558: 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 the Audiencia Real de Charcas , though it is disputed whether the Audiencia Real de Charcas was to administer only

234-577: The Antofagasta is just 1 millimetre (0.04 in) 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. Most of the population lives on

260-460: The Copiapó river, is extremely arid . It contains the Atacama Desert , one of the driest areas in the world; in certain sections, this desert does not register any rainfall at all. Average monthly temperatures range at sea level between about 20.5 °C during the summer and about 14 °C during the winter. Most of the population lives in the coastal area, where the temperatures are more moderate and

286-489: The Pacific, including the Loa River , whose U-shaped course across the desert makes it Chile's longest river. The water rights for one of the rivers, the Lauca River , remain a source of dispute between Bolivia and Chile. These narrow rivers have carved fertile valleys in which an exuberant vegetation creates a stark contrast to the bone-dry hills. In such areas, known locally as Quebradas , roads usually are built halfway up

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312-649: The arid elevations in order to maximize the intensive agricultural use of the irrigated land. They offer spectacular panoramic vistas, along with the harrowing experience of driving along the edges of cliffs. The Quebradas separate extensive plains called Pampas . The major of those is the Pampa del Tamarugal . In the Norte Grande, the kinds of fruits that grow well in the arid tropics thrive, and all kinds of vegetables can be grown year-round, noticeably in Azapa Valley . However,

338-579: The coast in Antofagasta and Mejillones , or in 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 peoples), from the Levant , and in smaller numbers from China , Japan , Korea , Peru and Bolivia . Various immigration flows joined with

364-715: 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 ALMA . Norte Grande The Norte Grande ( Big North , Far North , Great North )

390-407: 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 flats , tephra and lava flows , and the coast exhibits prominent cliffs . The region was sparsely populated by indigenous Changos and Atacameños until massive Chilean immigration in conjunction with a saltpeter boom in

416-399: The cold ocean waters, as well as any low clouds, is trapped by the high bluffs. This airborne moisture condenses in the spines and leaves of the vegetation, droplets that fall to the ground and irrigate the plants' roots. The fog of this area is known locally as Camanchaca . Beyond the coastal bluffs, there is an area of rolling hills that encompasses the driest desert land; this area ends to

442-579: 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 and mainstream Chilean culture. 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

468-439: The development of forests made up mainly of tamarugos , spiny trees native to the area that grow to a height of about twenty-five meters. Most of those forests were cut down to fuel the fires of the many foundries established since colonial times to exploit the abundant deposits of copper, silver, and nitrate found in the area. The result was the creation of even drier surface conditions. The eastern parts of this region lie within

494-433: The east with the Andes towering over it. This region is rainless, barren and inhospitable, absolutely destitute of vegetation except in some small river valleys where irrigation is possible, and on the slopes of some of the snow-covered peaks where the water from the melting snows nourishes a scanty and coarse vegetation before it disappears in the thirsty sands. It is very rich in mineral and saline deposits, however. This area

520-658: The higher ranges of the Andes and include a large district. This arid, bleak area is apparently a continuation southward of the great Altiplano , and is known as the Puna de Atacama . Its average elevation is estimated at 11,000 to 12,000 ft. A line of volcanoes crosses it from north to south, and extensive lava beds cover a considerable part of its surface. The chief summits being those of Licancabur , Acamarachi , Láscar , Miñiques , Pular , Socompa , Llullaillaco . Large shallow saline lakes are also characteristic features of this region. The area receives considerable rainfall during

546-456: The humidity higher. The desert region is an elevated arid plateau descending gradually from the Andes towards the coast, where it breaks down abruptly from elevations of 800 to 1500 ft. From the sea this plateau escarpment has the appearance of a range of flat topped hills closely following the coast line. This topography generates coastal microclimates because the fog that frequently forms over

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572-684: 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 López and José Santos Ossa discovered rich nitrate and guano deposits which produced

598-450: The later 19th century. Most of the region was organised as Bolivia 's only coastal territory until Chilean takeover in 1879 at the onset of the War of the Pacific . 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

624-440: The new territories of Antofagasta and 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: La Escondida and Chuquicamata . Each province in

650-585: The region is further subdivided into communes . The main river is the Loa . Along the 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 . These ore deposits are often of the manto-type deposits and are chiefly emplaced on rocks of La Negra Formation . The average rainfall in

676-477: The summer months in what is commonly known as the Bolivian Winter , forming shallow lakes of mostly saline waters that are home to a number of bird species, including the flamingo species Andean , Chilean and James . Contrary to the image of monochrome barrenness that most people associate with deserts, the landscape is spectacular, with its crisscrossing hills and mountains of all shapes and sizes, each with

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