Iquique

Iquique (from aimara: Iki Iki ''place of dreams', & #39;place of rest'') is a city-port and commune located in the north of Chile, capital of the homonymous province and of the Tarapacá Region.

The territorial surface of the commune during the 2002 census was 2,835.3 km², since Alto Hospicio was included, but after the separation of both communes, the surface of Iquique is 2,242.1 km². The population of the city in 2017 was 191,468 inhabitants and its population density of 85.4 inhabitants/km². Iquique belongs to the Iquique-Alto Hospicio conurbation, also known as "Gran Iquique", which has a population of 299,843 inhabitants, according to the 2017 census, making it the seventh most populous urban center in the country.

Iquique has one of the commercial rights of the largest free port or Free Zone in South America, traditionally called ZOFRI (Zona Franca de I quique). There are around 2.4 km² (0.93 mi²) of warehouses, bank branches and restaurants.

The area was the cradle of the Chinchorro culture, 5,000 years ago. Likewise, evidence of 4000 years B.C. has been found. C. in Caramucho beach, all fisher-gatherers who in a nomadic or semi-sedentary way took advantage of the sea resources. The pre-Hispanic inhabitants who made contact with the Spanish were the Camanchacos, called "changos" by the Europeans, who were characterized by their rafts made of sea lion skin, used for fishing and shellfish gathering.

Toponymy

According to the interpretation of the historian Rómulo Cúneo Vidal, the term Iquique is aimara and means "dream", because the inhabitants of the foothills suffered the consequences of the change in altitude. It also indicates that it may refer to the fact that sea lions and seabirds rest on the rocks, which is related to the "act of dreaming or resting". A key place in the beginnings of Iquique was the islet of Iquique, known in the Hispanic period as Isla Blanca, Isla de Cuadros in Peruvian times and in Chilean times -before joining the mainland-, as Isla Serrano.

Iquique was also known as the "port of Tarapacá", Iquique or "Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Iquique".

History

Pre-Columbian Period

The inhabitants of the region were farmers, the collas, totally different from fishermen or camanchacos, but they complemented each other, despite being different in tasks and obligations and perhaps in their origins. The Colla cultivated the coastal valleys, but they did not create a strong center of power, which meant that during the Late Intermediate period they were subject to the domain of the Lupacas or Aymaras of the Andean highlands.

Until the Spanish conquest, the subject aurochs made up a third of the population. The dominance of these nomadic peoples lasted into the VI century AD. C. time in which the Tiahuanacota expansion began on the South coast.

There are historical records of the settlement. In the pre-Columbian era, Iquique was a place where the Changa population was also concentrated.

Iquique was dominated first by the lords of Chucuito and then by the Incas who incorporated it into their empire; among the vestiges left in this area, we can highlight the capacocha of Cerro Esmeralda, at 905 meters above sea level, where two young people were sacrificed, one approximately 18 years old and another between 9 and 10 years old, along with a rich offering made up of bracelets of gold and silver, ceramics, fine textiles, gourds, Spondylus shells, snuff tablets, etc. Datings have estimated that they died between 1475 and 1499.

Period of the Viceroyalty of Peru (1539-1821)

In its beginnings, Iquique was just a hamlet inhabited by the Camanchacos, who salted fish (charquecillo) and rustically exploited the guano of seabirds on the old "islet of Iquique". The port movement of the time was reduced to the shipment of this guano.

Iquique, which was part of the Inca Collasuyo, was conquered by the Spanish, forming part of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

Under the viceregal era, Iquique began its activity as a pier. One of the important facts in this period is that part of the territories of this region were delivered as encomiendas by the viceroy of Peru. From here two important commendations are born: San Lorenzo de Tarapacá and Pica.

At first, Iquique was a stopover point for the first settlers to enter the town of San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, seat of the political and administrative jurisdiction of the province (since 1768). However, a period of greater prosperity for the territory (not necessarily for Iquique, which only served as a landing stage, in the El Colorado sector, since the silver was transported mainly by land to San Marcos de Arica) began with the discovery of the mineral wealth of the area (silver from Huantajaya and Santa Rosa), during the XVIII century.

Around 1811, a colonial document mentioned the existence of a customs office in Iquique, in charge of monitoring shipments of minerals and the first shipments of saltpeter. The customs would have been built in 1788 on the basis of a warehouse to deposit the products brought from Valparaíso.

About the discovery of saltpeter in the region, a legend tells that it occurred when two indigenous people from the area made a bonfire and the earth that contained caliche began to burn. When the priest of Camiña found out, and carrying holy water, he collected some samples and recognized that they contained potassium nitrate. Another part of the samples were in the patio of the priest's house and, later, he observed that the plants developed extraordinarily.

Period of the Republic of Peru (1821-1884)

Iquique plan in 1861.

Port of Iquique in 1863.

With the proclamation of Independence from Spain, on July 28, 1821, this southern area of Peru became part of the Department of Arequipa and, in 1857, it was incorporated into the Department of Moquegua, to which it would belong until 1878.

Charles Darwin, who called at the port on July 12, 1835, estimated the number of its inhabitants at a thousand and described the place as a "village of wood." Subsequently, the 1862 census determined a population of 2,485 people, while 10 years later it yielded a figure of 5,088 inhabitants.

In the framework of the War between Peru and Bolivia in 1842, the Bolivian Army, under the command of General José Ballivián, occupies the extreme south of Peru, including the area of Tarapacá and the port of Iquique. The Bolivian Army did not have enough troops to maintain the occupation, which in the combat of Tarapacá, Peruvian montoneros formed by Major Juan Buendía, coming from Iquique, defeated on January 7, 1842 the detachment led by Bolivian Colonel José María García, who dies in the confrontation. Thus, the Bolivian troops evacuated Tacna, Arica and Tarapacá in February 1842, retreating towards Moquegua and Puno. The Treaty of Puno put an end to this conflict.

Saltpeter and its exploitation, starting in the 1830s, make the city an important point for the trade of this product. The appearance of the small village changed during the so-called saltpeter cycle that turned Iquique into the hub of the precious nitrate trade. On June 26, 1855, it was recognized as Puerto Mayor, on July 11, 1866 it was declared a city. In 1868, the company formed by Ramón Montero y Hermanos was awarded the construction of the nitrate railway, along with the city's train station, which will be inaugurated on July 28, 1871. The nitrate industry generates great prosperity in the port, attracting some foreigners, settle in the city, giving it a somewhat more European appearance. Its port, around the middle of the XIX century, is frequented by English and French ships to transport saltpeter to European ports.

It is estimated that around the year 1870, the English butler Eliott Stubb disembarked in the port where he created the traditional Whiskey sour, being Peruvian Iquique. The first article that is available about this drink is from an American newspaper from Wisconsin in 1870, another article that is available is from <<El Comercio de Iquique>>, a Peruvian newspaper that was owned by Modesto Molina from Tacna, after the War of the Pacific and the Chilean invasion, the newspaper had to close in 1879.

At that time, great figures of Peruvian history were born or settled in the port, such as Alfonso Ugarte, who became mayor of the city in 1876, and was a wealthy nitrate businessman and landowner; Guillermo Billinghurst, who would later become President of Peru and Ramón Zavala, also a Peruvian hero and wealthy nitrate businessman, among others.

In 1875, the Peruvian government ordered a national census. As a result of it, Iquique registered 11,717 inhabitants within the urban radius, so it is presumed that a greater population is in the surroundings. It should be noted that the census delegate for the Litoral Province of Tarapacá was the retired veteran Colonel Francisco Bolognesi.

Coinciding with its economic importance, derived from the guano and nitrate industry, in 1878, the Government of Lima separated Tarapacá from Moquegua, creating the Litoral Department of Tarapacá, granting it the status of capital of the new Department.

In 1878 the so-called Clock Tower was built, which was ordered to be built by the then mayor Benigno Posada, to replace the old Iglesia Matriz clock that had been destroyed by a fire years before. The watch had been imported from England. Today it is located in Plaza Prat.

In this context, in 1879 the War of the Pacific broke out. Iquique would be the theater of episodes of prime importance for the history of Bolivia, Chile and Peru. In the context of the naval blockade of the port, on May 21 of that year the Naval Combat of Iquique took place and, on July 16, it was bombarded by the Chilean squadron.

Period of the Republic of Chile (1884 to the present)

Clock tower at Plaza Arturo Prat, inaugurated in 1877.

Towers of the church of San Antonio de Padua. Construction by 1904.

Old White truck.

During the Tarapaca Campaign, on November 2, 1879, the Chilean troops (Army and Navy together) managed to occupy Pisagua disembarking their war material and the rest of their troops, after hard-fought resistance by the forces Peruvians, managing to take possession of the railroad that connected Pisagua with Dolores. The most relevant confrontation that changed the course of the war was the Battle of San Francisco or Dolores that occurred on November 19, 1879. This had far-reaching consequences, since it meant that General Juan Buendía of Peru ordered to leave the province. Tarapacá and leave for Arica, where the operations center of the allied forces was located.

The city of Iquique was handed over to the Chilean Consular Corps by the Head of the Plaza, Peruvian Colonel José Miguel de Los Ríos, who reported that he did not have the forces to maintain order and the lives of the prisoners of La Esmeralda and the properties of the families that remained neutral and that had received superior orders to leave the city. On November 23, the peaceful occupation of the city was carried out by the Chilean forces of Navy Captain Juan José Latorre Benavente, commander of the Armored "Almirante Cochrane", who kept the port blocked. That day the Chilean administration of the city of Iquique began.

As a result of the foregoing, that same day the prisoners of the corvette Esmeralda, who had been detained since May 21, 1879, obtained their freedom. On November 25 of the same year, Vice Admiral Patricio Lynch summoned citizens and members of the Consular Corps to form the Municipal Board, which elected the Frenchman Eduardo de Lapeyrouse as mayor of the Municipal Board of Iquique. At the end of the war, in 1883, and by the Treaty of Ancón, the city officially became part of Chile.

Under the Chilean administration, the importance and economic strength of the city continued to grow. In 1885 there are records of the installation of horse-drawn tram lines (carros de sangre), called Ferrocarril Urbano de Iquique, which operated until 1930. Product of the economic wealth generated by the nitrate industry, Iquique was the first city in northern Chile to have trams, some of which were double-decker (imperial) and also animal-drawn (carros de sangre) and batteries in 1916. By the 1920s, the tram company passed into English hands, which they invested in gasoline traction.

Its preponderant national economic importance led to the establishment of the Revolutionary Junta in the city, less than a decade after its incorporation into Chile, during the so-called Civil War of 1891, which led the actions against the constitutional government of the president José Manuel Balmaceda, in Santiago.

Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos wrote in 1899 in his Geographical Dictionary of the Republic of Chile about the place:

Iquique.-—City, capital of the province and department of Tarapacá. Yace at 20° 12' Lat. and 70° 10' Lon. at the edge of the Pacific, where it has its port. The village is 15,391 inhabitants, many foreigners. It occupies a sandy flat space, almost at the beach level and surrounded by declines of arid and bald heights that rise by the points of the north, east and south on that level at more than 700 and 800 meters. Its seat is distributed in apples, divided by broad streets up to 20 meters, and in three beautiful squares. Their houses, in general of wood and of regular construction, do not fall in number of 4,500. It contains convenient public buildings, noting that of the customs, which is of labrada stone, at the front of which is an excellent pier; parish church, good hospital, prison, abasto market, police and firehouses, regular hotels and club, theater, mineral benefit establishments, distillation of drinking water, gas, credit and other industries. It has mail, telegraph and civil registration offices; a secondary school and free schools; court and two courts. It also contains the main railway station and railway mastermind that heads to the salitrales or salitre processing offices in the central part of the department. The seat of this city was composed of old in the territory of Peru and was called primitive Iqueique, It is supposed to come the name of a word of its languages equivalent to sleeping on the way. It seems to have been a place of Indian fishermen's station by wandering along these coasts, and it was after those who traveled from Arica to the Guantajaya mineral, since its discovery. The wealth of the latter fixed its first population, as well as the decay of its first mines kept it backward until 1836 in which it began to relive through the elaboration of salitre in districts of its proximity to the east and which was extracted by its port. With the subsequent increase of that production, the people acquired several improvements and its port was declared in 1855 major port. At the end of 1861, the construction of the railway was undertaken, which has attached great importance to it by communicating it with the Salitrales expressed. Meanwhile, he has also experienced some disasters, such as the one suffered in the earthquake of 13 depleted from 1868, in the fire of 7 October 1875, in another earthquake and sea exit of 9 May 1877, and in the fires of 22 October 1880 and 10 March 1883, without counting the bombing of the insurrection vessels of 1891. It also has the memorable memory of the fight of May 21, 1879. This year on November 23, the city was occupied by Chilean forces and was incorporated into this republic by the peace treaty with Peru of October 20, 1883. The law of 31 this month of the following year was erected in the capital of its own province and department, created by the same law. Dista por mar about 1,310 kilometers to the N. de Valparaíso.

In 1907, the city was shocked by the massacre at the Santa María School, when the Army, under the command of General Roberto Silva Renard, by order of President Pedro Montt Montt and Minister Rafael Sotomayor Gaete, opened fire on a a group of about 8,500 workers from the saltpeter works in the interior, who had marched to the city in protest for decent working conditions, the elimination of tokens and more flexible working hours, and who had been housed in the school by the public forces at the awaiting the arrival of the Mayor. The massacre left a debatable death toll (the figures, according to different historians, range from 800 to 3,000 deaths. See: Bravo Elizondo, Pedro: Revista Camanchaca No. 15, "How Many Were Dead in the Santa María Massacre&# 39;"^{[citation required]}), among men and also women and children who accompanied the march. This event inspired Luis Advis Vitaglich from Iquica to compose the Cantata de la Santa María, popularized by the Quilapayún group and the novel “Santa María de las Flores Negras”, by the writer talker Hernán Rivera Letelier, now based in Antofagasta.

Iquique was one of the main centers of the labor movement in Chile. Thus, in the same period of the nitrate boom, the Socialist Workers Party was founded in Iquique on June 4, 1912, at the premises of the workers' newspaper "El Despertar de los Trabajadores", located on calle Barros Arana 9. Founded by the printer worker Luis Emilio Recabarren, along with some 30 nitrate workers and employees, they unanimously agree to found the political party of the Chilean working class, which would later become the Communist Party.

With the growing boom in saltpeter, Iquique is transformed into a cosmopolitan city. It expanded more and more, towards the southeast and, thus, in the first decade of the XX century the Grenadiers regiment, the Spanish Casino, the hippodrome and the velodrome.

The Chilean geographer, Luis Risopatrón described Iquique in his book Diccionario Jeográfico de Chile in 1924:

Iquique (City) 20° 12' 70° 10'. It consists of about 350 blocks, divided by broad streets, up to 20 m some i offers three beautiful squares; it has its largest length from N to S i occupies about 4.5 km2 of surface, in a flat and sandy space, surrounded by declines of arid and calvas heights, which rise by the points of the N, E i S to more than 700 to 800 m of elevation. Its houses in jeneral are of wood and of regular construction i is located a short distance to the N of the tip of Cavancha, with which it is joined by a road and a railway; it seems to have been a place of Indian fishermen's station when wandering along these coasts i was after those who traveled from Arica to the mineral of Guantajaya, whose wealth fixed its first population, as well as the decay of its first mines With the subsequent increase of this production, the people acquired several improvements and great importance gave the construction of the railway to the salt-propressed ones, undertaken at the end of 1861; in the meantime it has also experienced some disasters, such as the one suffered in the earthquake of 13 August 1868, in the fire of 7 October 1875, in the other earthquake i out of sea of 9 May 1877 i in the fires of 22 October. It was occupied by the Chilean military forces on 23 November 1879 and definitively incorporated into the Republic, by the peace treaty with Peru of 20 October 1883; an annual increase in the population has been observed, in the period 1895-1907, of 1.64 per cent, with a proportion of alphabets on the latter date of 68.6 per cent. In 16 years of observations 30.8° i 10° C has been recorded as maximum and minimum temperatures i as annual averages 8.5° C of daily oscillation, 18.4° C of temperature, 81% of relative humidity, 7 of nebulosity (0-10) i 1.6 mm of fallen water, having been rejistrated 410.5 mm of evaporation in 1919.

The end of the War marked the beginning of the end of the nitrate boom[1], with the invention and industrialization of synthetic nitrate through the Haber Process and the loss of markets for natural nitrate. Iquique, which at that time had 40,000 inhabitants (the fourth most populous Chilean city in those years), all dedicated to the nitrate industry, was seriously hit by the drop in sales of this product. The recession caused thousands of workers to be absorbed by the city, generating high rates of unemployment and poverty; the city stagnated for almost 30 years until the fishing industry was promoted, which weighed on the local economy for another 25 years. At that point, Iquique went from being the first nitrate port to the first exporter port of fishmeal.

In 1975, during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, the Zona Franca de Iquique (ZOFRI) began, a government initiative promoted by the president himself, who had been Commander of the Carampangue Regiment in his youth. The same regime built the Diego Aracena International Airport in 1973. Despite the advances promoted by Pinochet in the city, in the 1988 Plebiscite that decided his permanence in power, the No obtained 54.27% in Iquique, against a 45.73% of Yes.

Currently, its inhabitants live mainly from copper mining, non-metallic mining (iodine), the fishing industry, tourism and the trade generated by the Iquique Free Trade Zone (ZOFRI), the main engine of development in that area.

In 2001 Iquique was designated the American Capital of Culture, being the first Chilean city to obtain such a distinction. Iquique was chosen by an international jury made up of the highest authorities of the INGO Inter-American Capital of Culture, from Spain, Brazil, the United States and Canada; and by the mayor of Mérida (Mexico), Xavier Abreu Sierra, who held this honorable position in the year 2000.

This initiative to annually designate a town in some of the 35 countries of the American continent as "Cultural Capital", aims to contribute to a better knowledge among the peoples of America and project American culture to other continents.

Geography

View of the Dragon Duna and Iquique at the bottom.

Iquique is located approximately 1,787 km from Santiago de Chile and 310 km from the city of Arica. The city is located on a very narrow coastal platform framed by a very high coastal slope of more than 600 meters. Its average altitude is 52 m s. no. m., varying from sea level to 125 m s. no. m.. Along the coastline, low rocky sections alternate with some very narrow pocket beaches fed by a dominant northerly drift (beaches: Larga or Brava, and Huaiquique). To the east, the city and the territory are limited by the Cordillera de la Costa, which in the sector reaches average heights of 700 meters above sea level. no. m. and which is characterized by presenting an abrupt cut to the west, known as the coastal cliff. Its origin is polygenetic, carved by the sea from a fault scarp running N-S.

Iquique Bay

The Bay of Iquique opens from Punta Piedras to the South, Punta Morro to the East, and the Serrano Peninsula to the West. It is located in the coordinates Lat. 20°12°S, Long. 70 ° 09 ° W. Its bottom is even, made up of sand and mud. To the south there are stones and rocks that only allow the traffic of smaller boats. It is protected from the prevailing winds by the chain of high hills that are to the south of it, and that end in Punta Gruesa, and by the defense works of the artificial port.

Climate

Iquique's climate is coastal desert, which is influenced by the marine mass and the Humboldt Current. It is characterized by abundant clouds, low oscillation and thermal amplitude in autumn until winter and early part of spring, but that changes in summer, when temperatures double and the oscillation increases, being the hottest and most humid coastal city in Chile in the summer season, strengthened by the coastal cliff that turns the city into a real cooking pot, concentrating the humidity coming from the evaporation of the sea. The city receives some rainfall in summer, especially between January and February due to the high pressure of Bolivia rigorously called: "summer rains", although the erroneous meanings of "Bolivian winter" or "Altiplano winter" are commonly used.

The temperatures of Iquique are characterized by the little difference between the daily extremes, as well as the little variation in temperature between the warmest and coldest months. In addition, the city has high humidity and almost no rainfall. The highs in summer are 25 °C and the lows in winter are 13 °C.

Average climate parameters of Iquique
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	31.2	30.2	30.3	27.4	26.1	25.8	33.5	30.8	25.8	23.6	30.6	29.8	31.6
Average temperature (°C)	25.3	25.5	24.9	22.7	20.7	19.0	18.0	18.0	18.8	20.1	21.7	23.7	21.5
Average temperature (°C)	22.2	22.2	21.5	19.7	18.0	16.7	16.0	16.1	16.4	17.5	19.1	20.7	18.8
Temp. medium (°C)	19.2	19.0	18.4	16.9	15.7	14.7	14.0	14.2	14.6	15.4	16.5	17.8	16.4
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	14.2	13.9	12.1	9.0	10.9	9.3	8.4	9.0	7.0	10.5	10.2	8.4	7.0
Total precipitation (mm)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.1	1.0
Hours of sun	316.2	288.2	294.5	240.0	213.9	177.0	164.3	161.2	183.0	241.8	279.0	313.1	2872.2
Relative humidity (%)	68	68	69	71	72	73	72	73	72	71	70	69	71
Source No. 1: Chilean Meteorological Directorate
Source No. 2: Universidad de Chile (only hours of sunshine)

Demographics

Iquique from the south.

According to the data collected in the 2002 Census carried out by the National Institute of Statistics, the commune has an area of 2,242.1 km² and a population of 166,204 inhabitants. Iquique is home to 69.6% of the total population of the region, of which 1.09% corresponds to the rural population and 98.91% to the urban population. Immigrants currently make up 9.2% of the population total. The most numerous foreign communities are Peruvian and Bolivian. There is also an important community of Chinese immigrants, attracted by the ZOFRI boom.

At the beginning of the XX century, during the so-called "salt boom" numerous groups of immigrants settled in the Iquique roadstead. The most numerous groups of European immigrants were the Italians and the English, followed by the Spanish and Austro-Hungarians (today Croats). A significant number of the descendants of these immigrants currently live in the city of Iquique.

The city of Iquique had a population in 2002 of 164,396 inhabitants and an area of 22.12 km², therefore it has a density of 7,432 inhabitants/km². The commune also has other towns such as the village of Chanavayita with a population of 434 inhabitants and smaller hamlets such as Caleta San Marcos, Punta Gruesa, Caleta Chipana, Caleta Los Verdes and Río Seco.

The commune of Iquique is divided into the following districts:

Economy

The economic activity of Iquique, capital of the Tarapacá Region, is mainly based on international trade through the Iquique Free Trade Zone (ZOFRI) and the seaport (one of the six busiest ports in Chile)., large copper mining, tourism, the fishing industry, manufacturing, construction.

In 2018, the number of companies registered in Iquique was 7,404. The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) in the same year was 0.89, while the economic activities with the highest Revealed Comparative Advantage index (RCA) were Manufacture of Accumulators and Primary Batteries (49.64), Activities of the Judiciary (27.5) and Electrical and Electronic Repairs (19.43).

Trade

Iquique night view from Alto Hospicio.

Municipal Theatre of Iquique.

Trade is important, since the region is the passageway for Chilean products to the northern countries (Peru and Bolivia) and to Brazil, due to the existing interoceanic corridor. The ZOFRI (Iquique Free Trade Zone) has caused the progress of commercial development, especially in the sale of automobiles and technological products, something very attractive to a large number of Chileans and foreigners. The city has 3 shopping centers called Malls, one of them is Mall Zofri, which is part of the free zone system, which sells retail products without paying 19% VAT, the other is Mall Plaza Iquique (formerly Mall Las Américas), which contains the Falabella and La Polar stores. More than 1,650 companies operate in this business center, carrying out purchase and sale operations of the order of 4,700 million dollars a year. In addition to all this, the city has a well-constituted service center in which large multi-stores coexist with banking centers, public entities and SMEs that mostly cover sectors from manufacturing, retail, food outlets or others. Within the commercial sector on Paseo Baquedano, it remains as a highly tourist sector, developing around it the services that many companies in the area need, constituting this sector of the city a commercial role and business center thanks to the boom of offices mainly in this sector. for its comparative advantages with the rest of the city, as well as the general police station that is in the area and the various fire stations.

Fishing Boat

Fishmeal and fish oil productions represent 50% and 60% of the national total. Industrial fishing, which began in the 1950s, generates the greatest contribution to the Gross Geographic Product, with 26%. Iquique is the largest fishing port in Chile, disembarking 35% of the country's total catch (especially anchovy and horse mackerel) and 95% of the extraction of which generates oil and fishmeal, the remaining 5% being used for canning, frozen and others.

Manufacturing

In the manufacturing industry, it represents 5% of the Gross Geographic Product and its greatest effort is in the shipyards, which have expanded their construction capacity. An example of this is the Marco Chilena shipyards, which has been building since fishing vessels to luxurious yachts. The city workshops manufacture parts and spare parts for industrial activity, especially those that serve the mining and fishing industry.

Construction

The construction of civil works in the city has been the engine of Iquique's growth during the last 15 years, giving a very dynamic stamp to the construction sector. However, the lack of land in the urban radius has prevented the construction of houses from prospering and at present they are the building towers that dominate the construction in the city. The construction of tall buildings over 25 floors that efficiently occupy the few available land is notable. Currently the construction of residential buildings is projected in the southern sector of the city mainly: Bajo Molle, but because it is outside the urban radius, the sector lacks appropriate infrastructure, constructions for housing are few. Another sector that welcomes the construction of buildings is in the coastal sector, mainly Cavancha and Playa Brava, where the tallest tower in the city with 37 stories high is being built.

Mining

Metallic mining is present especially in regards to copper ore. Copper is extracted in Quebrada Blanca, Cerro Colorado and in Doña Inés de Collahuasí, which began full production in 1999 and is now almost one of the largest mines in the world.

Non-metallic mining is the main product in volume is Sodium Chloride (common salt), extracted in the Salar Grande. It is crystalline in body and almost pure (98.5% purity). More than six million tons are extracted per year. The production of saltpeter and iodine extracted by recycling old saltpeter offices in Huara and Pozo Almonte and new offices such as Nueva Victoria is also important.

Tourism

Tourist trams at the Paseo Baquedano.

Tourism is very important for the city since it represents one of the main economic resources in projection towards the future, it has essential natural characteristics; a spa in the city that is suitable for bathing without representing risks or having currents or strong waves (thanks to the protection provided by the peninsula), also for having a temperate climate that borders on pleasant temperatures, for having beaches, desert panoramas and facilities of stay, finally its attractiveness of architecture from the time of the nitrate mines. It has one of the best tourist developments nationwide, the category of hotels, restaurants and commerce represented 30.68% of GDP.

Administration

Iquique belongs to Electoral District No. 2 and belongs to the 2nd Senatorial Circumscription (Tarapacá). It is represented in the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress by the deputies Renzo Trisotti Martínez (UDI), Danisa Astudillo (PS) and Matías Ramírez (PCCh). In turn, it is represented in the Senate by senators Luz Ebensperger Orrego (UDI) and Jorge Soria Quiroga (Ind-PPD).

Communal government

The Illustrious Municipality of Iquique is managed as follows:

Transportation

Plaza Arturo Prat with two tourist trams that operate on batteries.

Currently, the port of Iquique is one of the most important in northern Chile, and the reason is that it acts as the main port for merchandise entering the free zone; In this way they reach different countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay, that is, it is one of the main ports of Asia-Pacific in South America by the Pacific, unlike Valparaíso, Chile's main port of entry for automobiles. The loads that the local port moves are directly related to ZOFRI (home appliances, new and used cars, merchandise in general, mining inputs). In turn, a large part of Bolivian imports are made through this port, generating intense traffic between Iquique and the Bolivian city of Oruro. At the level of cruise ships, Iquique has not been an attractive port because if the Bathymetry conditions had been considered, for example, in the case of security, since it has a better navigation moat in the inner port, in addition to the hotel space, and eventual options, is higher since the level of activities is higher. Iquique has 150 kilometers of beaches with very good fishing and very interesting places, in this way the small port of Arica would have been discarded outright, which would have affected the Arica economy. On the other hand, the port of Iquique is one of the three ports in the region, there is the port of Patillos and the port of Patache, which have a strong activity in the bulk mining of copper material and salt, the latter from the Salar Grande..

At the aeronautical level, the Diego Aracena International Airport (or Chucumata) serves the city of Iquique. Distant about 30 km to the south, it has a runway 3,350 meters long and a slab 60 meters wide. It is the fourth airport in terms of passengers transported, and the second airport in terms of cargo transportation in Chile, according to data from the Civil Aeronautics Board. It serves commercial flights of LATAM Airlines, Sky Airline, JetSmart and Amaszonas S.A, which provide regular passenger transport services both nationally to destinations such as: Antofagasta, La Serena, Santiago, Concepción and international through direct flights to La Paz and Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Asunción (Paraguay) and Salta (Argentina) (seasonal summer flight). For the next few years, the expansion of the air terminal is expected to meet this high demand.

At the road level, the city's connectivity is relatively good. Although the roads that connect it with the nearby cities of Arica and Antofagasta are paved, the infrastructure associated with them is still minimal. Currently there is a concession highway with a total of 87 km that connects the city with the Pan-American Highway (47 km) and with the airport (40 km).

The current bus terminal of the city is an example of the urgency of investment that Iquique requires in this aspect. The precarious infrastructure is temporary and is not capable of absorbing the intense traffic, mainly international. The main bus companies with national service are: Tur Bus, Pullman Bus, Buses CikTur, Kenny Bus, Buses Norte Grande, Cruz del Norte, Ramos Cholele, Pullman Carmelita, Pullman Santa Rosa, TSA Pullman San Andrés and Pullman Cuevas. International service to Oruro (Via Colchane) and La Paz (Bolivia) Via Tambo Quemado: Bus Fer, TransLitoral, Trans Salvador S.R.L. Jet Sur International, Trans Luján and Trans Paraíso. International service to Asunción (Paraguay) Via Paso de Jama: Pycasu S.A. International service to Jujuy - Salta (Argentina) via Calama - Paso de Jama Andesmar.

Interurban transportation is divided into two zones: the minibuses that serve the commune of Iquique (lines 4, 5, 6, 6A, 7, 9, 10, 17 and 18) and those that connect with the commune of Alto Hospice (lines 1, 1A, 1B, 1.21, 3, 3A, 3B, 3C, 33 and 400). The implementation of the TransIquique system changed the numbering of minibuses (from lines 4,5,6 to 110, 102, 120, for example) and provided for a rearrangement of traffic in public transport with segregated streets, exclusive routes and "deferred" (buses currently pick up and drop off passengers anywhere). The Basic Taxis, Radiotaxis and the so-called "Collectives" they would also be incorporated into this rearrangement. However, since the beginning of May, Iquique and Alto Hospicio have collective taxis with lines (Alto Hospicio 111, 222, 333 and Iquique 444 and 555) which have a total of 75 collective taxis, which will increase in number. In September the drivers of the collective taxis (without lines) together with the radio taxis must form part of a union, in order to finally have a reorganization in public transport.

The construction of a Metro cable or cable car that links the commune of Iquique with the commune of Alto Hospicio is in the study stage for an upcoming public tender, in order to alleviate vehicular traffic on the congested Alejandro avenue Soria (route 16), which connects both towns.

Within this sector, the proposal for a new bus terminal for the city of Iquique, located in the Bajo Molle sector and that complies with providing a service according to the needs that will arise, is in the project phase for 2020. in terms of connectivity and information to and from the city with the authorization of the Santos-Iquique bi-oceanic corridor.

In the first instance, a MASTER PLAN will be developed that considers intervening various points within Iquique (including Alto Hospicio) and new road layouts that propose optimizing connectivity. This proposal seeks to establish the starting point for the solution to conflicts and urban problems that are present today in the city of Iquique, such as the congestion resulting from the high vehicular density and the traffic of heavy-duty trucks. and of intercity buses in streets that do not support the large scale of these flows; as well as the lack of a significant and appropriate space for the reception of passengers that, at the same time, complies with delivering information about what to do or where to go inside and outside the city and also that is capable of giving the possibility of travel towards relevant points in terms of tourism and trade within existing networks. With this, some of the direct benefits that the project will bring will be the creation of microbus stops around the route, as well as the creation of a light rail that will go from the new bus terminal to the free zone of Iquique.

Tourist attractions

Iquique Naval Museum

View of the frontis of the ex-aduana de Iquique.

Inaugurated on May 20, 1983 by the Chilean Navy to exhibit the items salvaged from the shipwreck of the corvette Esmeralda. The Museum preserves original elements of numerous ships that participated in the War of the Pacific, its largest collection being those extracted from the corvette Esmeralda where the poop rail stands out, from where Captain Arturo Prat harangued the crew on May 21, 1879. The building suffered a fire in 2016.

It is located on one side of the old Iquique Customs building, a building that served as a prison for the survivors of the Iquique naval combat. The building was declared a National Monument by D.S. 1559 of 1971. Similarly, the remains of the corvette Esmeralda were declared a National Monument by D.S. 723 of 1973.

Astoreca Palace

The Astoreca Palace was built in 1904.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the saltpeter industry was at its peak. In the first decades of that century, Iquique grew economically in a surprising way thanks to the important advances in the processing of nitrate, which was exported to various European countries. At the time, there were 170 saltpeter offices. The owners of these offices built their Georgian-style houses in Iquique, especially on Baquedano street. In this context, the Astoreca Palace was built in 1904 commissioned by Don Juan Higinio Astoreca, owner of the La Granja, Felisa, La Aurrera and Iris offices.

The Astoreca Palace is built entirely of Oregon pine. Its architecture is inspired by the Georgian style. This building has 1400 m², 15 apartments were built on the first floor and 22 on the second. The house belonged to the Astoreca family, but it was not inhabited by them, because in 1904 they decided to move to Valparaíso, to sell the property with all its furniture to the government in 1909, for the sum of 80,000 CLP. From then on, the regional administration began to function there, until in 1977 the rooms decorated with different style furniture were transferred to the new building, among which stand out: Neo-Louis XVI, Art Nouveau, French Neo Renaissance, among others.. The Astoreca Palace is an architectural jewel that can be visited by the general public, to admire the grandeur of a bygone era.

Arturo Prat Square

Plaza Arturo Prat is the main square of the city of Iquique. An unmissable point of reference for all visitors. Here are impressive constructions such as the Clock Tower and the Municipal Theater. In addition, all the trees and palm trees that adorn the square are National Heritage due to their age. Also, it has many benches to rest.

Baquedano Walk

Avenue or Paseo Baquedano.

Paseo Baquedano.

Huancavelica street during the Republic of Peru, and Baquedano when the port falls under Chilean rule, constitutes the backbone of the city.

Baquedano was the street where the Iquican aristocracy walked. Here are his scandals so well recounted in Juanito Zola's novel, "Tarapacá" woke up the dozens of puritans who slept there. At the end of this street, to the south, and through Obispo Labbé, Patricio Lynch and Bulnes streets, the English neighborhood was established. The Anglican Church and the Masonic Lodge are its symbolic references.

Baquedano street is testimony to the rise of the nitrate industry in the province. The houses were built between 1820 and 1920, which were built with similar architecture, thus giving a special touch to this street. During the Peruvian administration this street was called Santa Rosa, later Huancavelica; later, in the Chilean administration Manuel Baquedano and Cristian Fonseca.

The houses built with Oregon pine, wood that came to this port from the United States and Canada, built by the simple frame system or "Balloon Frame", Georgian architectural style. Its corridors towards the street with light pillars and wooden balustrades and beautiful door and window frames, the use of skylights or lanterns, viewpoints and the shaded aerial roof over the roof stand out.

Today, Manuel Baquedano street has been converted into a public promenade. During the day, it brings together various antique dealers, who, along with offering the most unusual and innovative products, recall the time of the nitrate mines. In addition, we can find along the promenade a series of restaurant-pub-bar that have been appropriating and remodeling the street, recovering (or worsening for many) the life of the place, this being an important source of employment-economic for many people..

It is worth noting that important cultural centers of the city are located along the promenade, such as the Regional Museum, the Military Museum and the Astoreca Palace; and educational such as the Liceo Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins (former Liceo de Hombres), established in 1886 and located between Orella and Manuel Bulnes streets.

Municipal Theater of Iquique

Iquique Municipal Theatre at night.

The auditorium of the municipal theatre of Iquique.

The Municipal Theater of Iquique was built in 1889 by the Soler brothers and is characterized by a Neoclassical style façade with four female figures representing four branches of art: music, theater, dance and painting. The Theater is entirely built in Oregon pine wood, structural wood from Canada. Ground reeds, clay and conchuela are the predominant construction materials. During the golden age of saltpeter, this theater was the setting for international level opera, zarzuela and theater performances. In the Hall of the theater there is a Foyer, under its central dome are painted four geniuses of music and four cherubs that represent music, dance, painting and theater.

Currently, this architecture is a National Monument, by Supreme Decree of 1977.

It is for this reason that since 2009 it has been closed and in the process of being restored for its conservation and exclusive use for cultural and artistic purposes. This determination was given as a foundation because in recent years the Municipal Theater was used for political, religious and educational events such as degrees and anniversaries of educational establishments, losing the feature it had in its years of splendor.

Emerald Corvette Buoy

Boya Corbeta Esmeralda.

Placed in the place where the corvette Esmeralda was sunk by the Peruvians on May 21, 1879, in the naval combat of Iquique. She is built of steel and is twelve feet tall, painted in the colors of the Chilean flag and hoisting it at its highest point. Tourist visits are made by boat around it. The first buoy was installed on May 21, 1928 and was able to light up at night with acetylene lamps incorporated into its structure. On May 25, 1971, it was replaced by a fiberglass one, which corresponds to the one used for replacements for repairs. The current one was placed there on May 12, 1995.

Monument to the Emigrant Woman

The Monument to Emigrant Women

The "Monument to the Emigrant Woman" is a steel sculpture, a symbol of family and emigration, located on Arturo Prat avenue, in the center of the Plaza and Rotonda Chipana, made in 2002 by the Italian sculptor and painter Antonio Masini.

Emerald Corvette Museum

Corbeta Esmeralda Museum.

In December 2007, the construction project for the replica of the corvette "Esmeralda", similar in height and dimensions to the one found sunk in the Iquique bay, was officially handed over.

The first stone of the work, which is being erected on Paseo Lynch, was laid in May 2010, with the presence of the President of the Republic Sebastián Piñera Echenique, beginning its construction.

The initial cost of construction was US$5,000,000 (Five million dollars), provided by the "Doña Inés de Collahuasi" Mining Company, and developed by the Ingevec Construction Company.

This replica of the Corvette "Esmeralda" It is part of the Bicentennial Works, a set of works developed by the Government of Chile together with private companies to commemorate the Bicentennial of the Independence of Chile, and was inaugurated in May 2011.

Currently it is possible to access it by paying an admission for the maintenance of the boat on a 1:1 scale.

Cavancha Beach

Playa Cavancha.

Corresponds to the beach located in front of the city of Iquique, on its coastline. Its white sands are home to vacationers at all times of the year. In its extension it is possible to practice various water sports such as bodyboarding, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, water skiing, among others. The average temperature in the year reaches 18.8 °C, so it can be visited during most of the year, making Iquique a great tourist center.

Skate Park

Completed by Mayor Myrta Dubost, sponsored by a mining company in the region. Inaugurated on September 13, 2008, it is considered one of the largest in America and is one of the several main attractions of this city. This park also has a Bike Park; area for cyclists where they can perform their stunts and develop their skills on ramps and dirt mounds. This park is located in the Playa Brava park sector, replacing an old "hole" that he spent several years in a project whose veracity is doubted.

Cavancha Theme Park

It is one of the coastal avenues of Chile, where children have access to enjoy interactive games and natural landscapes. The place contemplates the habilitation of the sanctuary of the Yacaré and is also the place of the following species:

• I'll go over it.
• Red ear turtle

• Before there were Koi and Guppy who died for reasons of human activity which was that they threw coins into the pond.

The work of the Yacaré Aventura Park is located in 1600 square meters, where a specially conditioned habitat was created for the exhibition of 21 alligators, which have two resting environments –one on land and the other in water, both controlled in its temperature, since these reptiles require between 20 and 25 °C for their survival.

A few meters away there is a show of trained sea lions (Otaria flavescens) called The Treasure of the Sea Lions, which is an attraction only in the summer.

Across the street is a barn with the following animals

• Alpaca
• Call

Iquique Cathedral

The Parish of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was built in 1885, two years after the old Iquique Parish Church burned down, thanks to the initiative and efforts of the Apostolic Vicar Camilo Ortúzar. Its construction barely began in 1884 and until 1888 it housed the remains of Captain Arturo Prat and other heroes of the Iquique naval combat.

On December 20, 1929 and through the Apostolic Constitution "Ad Gregem Dominicum", Pope Pius XI created the Diocese of Iquique, turning this church into the city's Cathedral.

The Cathedral is of Italian neoclassical style, its rectangular building occupies an entire block; on one side are the parish offices and on the back is a Fiery Chapel. In the north courtyard of the temple there is an enormous crucifix that is said to be the protector of Iquique.

Its interior is made up of three naves, divided by two rows of Corinthian columns. The central nave has a blue vault adorned with golden stars. Behind the High Altar there is a splendid representation of the Assumption of Santa María.

The Iquique Cathedral is located on Obispo Labbe street, between Bolívar and Esmeralda streets, a few steps from the passenger pier and the city's commercial center.

Museums

• Municipal Museum of Iquique: dependent on the Municipal Development Corporation of Iquique, occupies the old building of the Astoreca company, built in 1902. It has ethnographic collections of the Andean and indigenous peoples of the coast. It also has a room dedicated to the exploitation of salitrera. It is located in Paseo Baquedano 951.
• Iquique Naval Museum: dependent on the IV Naval Zone, it occupies part of the first floor of the former Customs (now the Rimac Palace) Building where the survivors of the "Esmeralda" Corbeta were held prisoner. It possesses mainly objects and relics of the Iquique Naval Combat It is located in Avenue Arturo Prat s/n, in the dependencies of the Ex-Aduana.
• Military Historical Museum: dependent on the VI Army Division, its simple collection shows objects and clothing from the Pacific War. It is located at Paseo Baquedano 1396.
• Museum of the Sea: owned by Arturo Prat University, it is private. Its collection, which is in the process of classification, mainly includes a sample of the coastal marine zoology and fauna. It is located on the Huayquique Campus of UNAP.
• Museo Corbeta Esmeralda: It is a real size replica of the Emerald Corbeta. It was funded by the Inés Minera of Collahuasi as a gift by the Bicentennial of Chile to the city of Iquique. It is located on an esplanade of the coastal edge, at the present Paseo Lynch. Its administration is in charge of the Chilean Maritime Heritage Corporation.

Sports

Estanislao Loayza was the first Chilean to dispute a crown of the world in 1925.

Arturo Godoy fought for the world heavyweight title, falling for points.

Without a doubt, sport has been a cultural institution in the city. Since the time of the saltpeter, a series of sports institutions (Jorge V, Unión Matadero, Unión Morro, Cavancha, Maestranza, Club Chung Hwa, to name a few), and in different sports disciplines, began to see the light.

Boxing yielded its first victories at the hands of emblematic figures such as Estanislao Loayza, "Tani", the first to dispute a world title in 1925, or the native of Caleta Buena, Arturo Godoy, champion national who disputed the world title with Joe Louis, the "Detroit bomber", at Madison Square Garden in New York, in 1940, and with whom he ultimately lost on points. The remains of the gyms used by these local sports icons can still be visited today on Thompson Street, where they have been converted into warehouses for showmen.

September 4, 1971 was a date for history. Chile led the United States by 128,300 points. Chile had qualified as the world champion in Submarine Hunting, where the place of the feat was in Iquique. The team was made up of Raúl Choque, Pedro Rozas, and Fernando Sánchez from Coquimbano. In addition to Federico Schaffer, who was the captain, Samuel Rodríguez and Eduardo Soto.

Soccer, however, was the one who gave him the title of "land of champions" to the city. According to historical records, the first official soccer match was played (possibly) on June 14, 1896, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Sociedad de Ilustración y Progreso of Iquique. In 1902 the Iquique Soccer League was created, with the participation of clubs formed mainly by foreigners. This League was replaced on May 19, 1931 by the Iquique Football Association (AFI). At that time there were a series of clubs, representative of the different neighborhoods of the city, such as Club Yungay (founded in 1905 and the oldest in Iquique), C.D. Maestranza (founded in the same year), Estrella de Chile (founded in 1921), Club Deportivo Unión Morro (founded in 1923), Club Unión (founded in the same year), Club Deportivo Rápido (founded like the previous one), Club Jorge V (founded in 1926) and Club Sportiva Italiana (founded in the same year), among others. The inauguration of the Municipal Stadium of Iquique on the old grounds of the Tarapacá Sporting Club racetrack on May 21, 1933^{[citation required]}, popularized the sport.

The local soccer team won 7 national amateur titles; the last one in 1978, when the Club de Deportes Iquique was founded. He took the glorious post, winning the second division title in 1979, and a year later he won the Polla Gol Cup (opening tournament) by defeating Colo-Colo 2-1 at the National Stadium. Figures of that team were Luis Acao (a native of Huara and team captain) and Fidel Dávila, among others. From that club, Juan Ponce de Ferrari and Cristian Sasso became the first club players to be nominated for a Chilean soccer team, in 1980.

Unfortunately, the story ended in 2002, when the institution of the celestial dragons fell to the third division, in the midst of a sports and economic crisis.

In 2007, however, he returned to professionalism, this time under the name of Municipal Iquique, where he won the 3rd division championship and promotion to Primera B. The following year he was promoted to the First Division defeating Coquimbo Unido team for penalty kicks. After a brief season in the Primera División, he was abruptly relegated to Primera B, where he was for one season, until he won the title of champion in his category in November 2010. In December 2010, and after thirty years, he returned to to be champion of the Chile Cup, by beating Deportes Concepción by 4 goals against 3 on penalties (draw in regulation time), played at the Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso Stadium in Coquimbo. However the name of "Municipal" It is little accepted by the fans, who asked that it resume its old name, Club Deportes Iquique, a situation that materialized the same year. Outstanding players from those seasons were Rubén Taucare, Edson Puch (later transferred to Universidad de Chile), Sebastián Marchant, Leonardo Mas, Fernando Martel and the Under 20 national team Álvaro Ramos. It also managed to qualify for international tournaments for the first time in its history, such as the Copa Sudamericana in the 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2017 editions and the Copa Libertadores de América in 2013 and 2017.

In parallel, Arturo Prat University participated in the Third Division of Chile between 2006 and 2008.

Surfing and bodyboarding develop new opportunities for the city year after year. Being one of the cities with the most evidence of specific waves for the practice of these sports in the world, this city has become a key tourist spot for its development. On bodyboarding exponents such as Juan Antonio Fischer, Gabriel "Momio" Brantes, Hernán Flores, Eduardo Carpinello, and Eduardo Salinas have been called to the national team, obtaining important achievements inside and outside of Chile, as well as the new generations. In surfing, Juan Carlos Lombardi, Benjamín Barros, Roddy Álvarez, Cristian "Morris" Tapia and Reinaldo Ibarra stand out in physical discipline. In 2014, the ISA (International Surfing Association) Bodyboard World Championship was held at Playa Cavancha, resulting in the team champion due to the outstanding participation of the gold medalists Yoshua Toledo (Iqui). Junior category, Anaís Velis (Quintero) silver in Junior Ladies, and Gabriel Brantes (Iqui) bronze in the Open category.

American football in Iquique emerged in October 2011, with the "Wolf" or "Wolves" from Iquique the pioneers of this sport in the city. Trainings generally take place at Playa Cavancha.

Freediving also has an outstanding figure from Iquique, Pedro Lay Ahumada, Chilean champion in freediving spearfishing and runner-up in the world for freediving fishing teams in 2012, with the Chilean team, and a great connoisseur of the coasts from the Tarapaca region.

Equipment	Sport	Competition	Stadium	Creation
Sports	Football	First B	Land of Champions	1978

Education

Universidad Arturo Prat de Iquique Central Building.

The commune of Iquique has public, subsidized and private educational establishments, in which Pre-school education, Basic Education and Secondary Education are taught and are broken down as follows: 28 public schools, 33 private schools - subsidized and 8 private schools.

The city also has several universities:

• Arturo Prat University (founded in 1965 as Universidad de Chile, Iquique Headquarters).
• Tarapacá University.
• St. Thomas University.
• University of the Sea. (Closed 2013)
• Bolivarian University.
• Universidad Tecnológica de Chile (INACAP).

Garnish

Rama	Prosecution
Chilean Army	Commander of the Sixth Army Division Aviation platoon No. 6
Chilean Navy	Command of the Fourth Naval Zone Marine Corps Detachment No1 "Lynch" Grupo Aeronaval Norte Iquique Naval Museum Maritime governorate of Iquique Port of Iquique
Chilean Air Force	Command of the I Air Brigade Aviation Group No. 1 Aviation Group No. 2 Aviation Group No. 3 Air Defense Group No. 24 Telecommunications and Detection Group No. 34 Aviation Infantry Group No. 44

Services

Firefighters

The first fire company in the city (still Peruvian), was founded on December 10, 1870 by Alfonso Ugarte and Guillermo Billingurst. Between the years 1860 and 1866, a fire company called "Compañía of Peruvian Bombs" Mention of which is only made in the book Historia de las Compañías de Bomberos de Iquique, by Dimas Filgueira, editorial Bini1888, Iquique, of which there are no further details, except that its implements became part of the Iberia N. #1 years later.

Currently, the Iquique Fire Brigade is affiliated with the National Board of Fire Brigades of Chile.

On the other hand, the city of Iquique has one of the oldest fire departments in Chile, therefore, it has a great historical relationship with the city, since large fires have affected old buildings, large industries and houses-rooms. Founded on October 7, 1875^{[citation required]}, it has been serving the community for 140 years. Nine companies organized and trained in different specialties (Water, rescue, Hazmat, scales and trauma) make up the institution:

• Spanish Fire Company "Spanish" N.o1. Water speciality and trauma.
• German Fire Company "Germania" No.2. Founded on October 18, 1872 by German residents. Water speciality and rescue.
• Italian Fire Company "Ausonia" N.o4. Water speciality and hazardous materials.
• "Dalmacia" Firefighters' Croatian Company N.o5. Originally founded by Peruvians in 1874. After the 1879 war, members of the Austro-Hungarian colony residing in Iquique—croats from the Dalmatia region—take their leadership). Water speciality and scales.
• Chilean Fire Company "Sargento Aldea" N.o6. This company, in Peruvian times, was a company of Chilean residents. Water speciality and rescue.
• Fire Company "Bomba Tarapacá" N.o7. Water speciality, vehicle rescue and high fires.
• British Fire Company "Victoria" N.o11. Founded on May 24, 1909 by British residents. Water speciality and heavy technical rescue.
• Fire Company "Iquique" No.12. Water specialty.
• "Guardiamarina Ernesto Riquelme" Fire Company N.o14. Water speciality, rescue and trauma.
• Fire Company "Gilberto Molina Gahona" No. 16. Located in the Chanavayita caleta 60 km south of Iquique. Water specialty.

Mortal remains of Arturo Prat

• Already the Iquique Naval Combat (May 21, 1879), the mortal remains of Captain Arturo Prat Chacón, are transferred to the headquarters of the First Fire Company, then, "Bomba Iberia". This whole operation was supervised by Mr. Eduardo Llanos.

Hospital

The Dr. Ernesto Torres Galdames Regional Hospital of Iquique is the main hospital in the Tarapacá Region.

Traditions

Religious Festival of Our Lady of Tirana

The religious festival of the Virgen de la Tirana is currently celebrated every July 16 in the town of La Tirana, where dances of various kinds participate in devotion to the Virgen del Carmen. This is the most important festivity in the great north, due to the massive turnout of pilgrims.

Christmas Allegorical Cars

Christmas allegorical car walking through Iquique.

Christmas tradition that consists of caravans of cars and trucks with Christmas decorations that are dedicated to throwing candies at the children onlookers who see them pass by in the days before Christmas. It all started at the beginning of the 1960s, staff from the Chilean Post Office began to bring gifts to their children in the parcel delivery truck and an official, Mario Vidal, dressed as "Old Easter" and both left on December 24 in the afternoon to visit the houses of officials who had minor children. The cart was simple, just the old pascuero and his helpers; these were not disguised and the truck had no decorations.

Over the years, the Iquiquean fishing companies joined in and the Iquique fishing unions began to decorate the vehicle and gradually got better and better, until they reached today's floats. At present, this event has been consolidated as a tradition that is repeated annually at Christmas time (mid-December). However, this tradition has evolved.

Each year, the Christmas floats load between 10 and 15 volunteers into the truck dressed as old pascueros or children's cartoon characters who throw candies to the onlookers who see the trucks go by and these same trucks pass all over Iquique full of colors, candies, blockbuster music and a lot of joy that they distribute to the children and families who watch them go by. Many cars even include the so-called bronze bands (typical of the religious dances of the La Tirana festival) playing live music as they tour all of Iquique and Alto Hospicio.

The purpose of this notable tradition is for the companies and unions that organize these Christmas caravans to stop at each house of their officials whose minor children receive Christmas gifts, as was also done in the 1960s.

This tradition is recognized by the Iquiqueños for being unique worldwide.

Media

The region's media are concentrated in Iquique, among which are the newspapers La Estrella de Iquique and Diario Longino, digital information platforms such as newspapers digital media of the above, the digital media Medio El Boyaldía, as well as Diario El Nortino, Cavancha, El Sol de Iquique and Iquique online. On February 16, 2019, the digital magazine La Iquiqueña published its first publication, becoming the first online magazine in the Tarapacá region.

Radio stations

FM

• 88.1 MHz FM Okey (Quinta Region)
• 88.7 MHz Radio Bravissima (L) connection agriculture
• 89.3 MHz Radio Paulina (L)
• 89.7 MHz The 40s.
• 90.3 MHz Positive FM
• 90.7 MHz Radioactive
• 91.3 MHz Radio Carolina
• 91.9 MHz Radio Super (L)
• 92.3 MHz Radio María (R)
• 92.7 MHz Radio Universo (A)
• 93.3 MHz Municipal Radio (L)
• 93.9 MHz Rock & Pop (A)
• 94.3 MHz New Time
• 94.7 MHz Heart FM
• 95.7 MHz Radio Palabras de Vida (L) (R)
• 96.3 MHz Radio Concierto (A)
• 96.9 MHz Radio Bio-Bio
• 97.3 MHz Charanga Latina (Antofagasta)
• 97.7 MHz Romantic FM
• 98.3 MHz Radio Disney
• 99.1 MHz Digital FM*** (A)
• 99.7 MHz Radio Harmony (R)
• 100.1 MHz Vilas Radio (L)
• 100.5 MHz The FM Conqueror (North Network) (Antofagasta)
• 100.9 MHz Popular Radio (New World Connection) (L)
• 101.3 MHz FM Two
• 101.9 MHz Radio Universidad Arturo Prat (L) connection U. CHILE (A) and Radio Beethoven.
• 102.3 MHz FM Plus(Antofagasta) (A)
• 102.7 MHz The Mega FM (L)
• 103.1 MHz DNA Radio Chile
• 103.7 MHz Radio Pudahuel
• 104.3 MHz Cooperative Radio
• 104.9 MHz Caribbean Radio (L)
• 105.3 MHz Radio Imagina
• 105.7 MHz Future Radio (A)
• 106.1 MHz San Lorenzo FM (L)
• 106.7 MHz Radio Acierto (L)
• 107.1 MHz Radio Vanguardia (Alto Hospicio) (L) (R)
• 107.5 MHz Radio Libertad (Alto Hospicio) (L) (R)
• 107.7 MHz Final Times (Iquique) (L) (R)
• 107.9 MHz Radio Manantial (Alto Hospicio and Iquique) (L) (R)

(L)=Local

R = Religious

A = Anglo

Local programming at some times.

AM

• 1400 kHz Radio Nacional de Chile (do not broadcast)

Television

VHF

• 2 - Mega
• 4 - Chilevision
• 5 - The Network
• 8 - Channel 13
• 10 - TVN
• 12 - Telecanal.

DTT

• 2.1 - Mega HD
• 2.2 - Mega 2
• 4.1 - Chilevision HD
• 4.2 - UChile TV
• 8.1 - Channel 13 HD
• 8.2 - T13 Live
• 10.1 - TVN HD
• 10.2 - NTV.
• 25.1 - Iquique TV HD (L)
• 25.2 - Iquique TV 2 (documentary) (L)
• 26.1 - RTC Television (L)

Wired

• 9 - RTC Television (VTR)
• 102. - Iquique TV (VTR)

Illustrious Iquiqueños

• Victor Dávila, professional footballer.
• Antonio Prieto, Chilean singer and actor, very popular internationally during the 1950s and 1960s in Latin America and some countries in Europe.
• Luis Advis, outstanding musical composer.
• Ingrid Antonijevic, engineer, minister of economy.
• Guillermo Billinghurst Angulo, Peruvian military and political, a fighter of the Pacific War and president of Peru between 1912 and 1914.
• Óscar Bonilla, general of the Chilean army, minister of the interior.
• Hernán Buchi, engineer, Minister of Finance, presidential candidate in 1989.
• Luis "Checho" González, singer, folklorist and composer.
• Elena Caffarena Morice, lawyer, promoter of female suffrage in Chile.
• Ramón Castilla, militar and politician, born in Tarapacá and dead in Tiliviche. President of Peru in 1845 - 1851, 1855 - 1862 and 1863. He decreed Iquique as a major port.
• Vittorio Corbo, economist, president of the Central Bank of Chile.
• Julio Crisosto, ex-player of the Chilean team and other football teams.
• Lucho Gálvez, actor, theatre and television director based in Ecuador.
• Pedro Gamboni, chemical engineer and industrial salitrero. He made improvements in the salt and iodine industry.
• Arturo Godoy, a boxer, the second iquiqueño to dispute the crown of the world.
• Fernando Godoy, actor.
• Oscar Hahn, poet.
• Ramón Galleguillos Castillo, the first mayor of Alto Hospicio.
• Jorge Inostroza, writer, author of the novel Goodbye to the Seventh Line and the letter of the hymn The Old Standards.
• Loayza isola, a boxer, the first iquiqueño to dispute the crown of the world.
• Remigio Morales Bermúdez, Peruvian military and political, a fighter of the Pacific War and president of Peru between 1890 and 1894.
• Edson Puch, professional footballer, Centenary American Cup champion.
• Sixto Rojas, Pintor and Chronist, Survivor of the Matanza de la Escuela Santa María.
• Enrique Silva Cimma, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator of the Republic.
• Alfonso Ugarte Vernal, Peruvian, defender of Arica in the Pacific War.
• Tito Ureta, biochemical.
• Baldramina Flores, activist and writer. Defense of DD.HH during the military regime.
• Jorge Robledo Oliver, a historic Chilean footballer, FA Cup champion on two occasions with the Newcastle United and top scorer of the Football League First Division season 1951-52.
• Tomasa del Real, regueton singer.

Trade unions

In Iquique there are numerous and influential union organizations, many of them affiliated with the CUT, the most important being the port unions, ZOFRI, mining unions, commerce and public officials.

Also union organizations strengthened by historical events such as the "Santa María Massacre", on December 17, 1907. Union representations are given by; trade, public officials, mining and construction, among others.

Twinned cities

• Santa Fe, Argentina
• Palpalá, Argentina
• Salta, Argentina
• La Paz, Bolivia
• Oruro, Bolivia
• Arequipa, Peru
• Tacna, Peru
• Oppido Lucano, Italy

Predecessor: Merida

American Capital of Culture 2001

Successor: Maceió