Tarapaca Region

The Tarapacá Region is one of the sixteen regions into which the Republic of Chile is divided. Its capital is Iquique. Located in the far north of the country —norte grande—, it limits to the north with the Region of Arica and Parinacota, to the east with the departments of Oruro and Potosí belonging to Bolivia, to the south with the Antofagasta Region and to the west with the Pacific Ocean..

It has an area of 42,225.8 km² and a population of 330,558 inhabitants as of 2017. The region is made up of the provinces of El Tamarugal and Iquique, and the regional capital is the city of Iquique, which together with Alto Hospicio form the Greater Iquique whose population reaches 299,843 inhabitants.

History

Iquique naval combat.

This region has been inhabited by various indigenous populations, most notably the Chinchorro culture more than 10,000 years ago. Later, it was inhabited by nomadic groups, collectors and fishermen. Upon the arrival of the Inca invader, the territory of the region was occupied by Changos in the entire coastal sector, Aymaras in the Andean sector and Atacameños in the south, especially near the Loa River. The Inca invasion was successful, annexing the region to the Empire. After the Spanish conquest, the territory was administered by the Viceroyalty of Peru, until 1824, when it passed from Spanish hands to belong to the Republic of Peru until 1879 during the War of the Pacific.

Fray Antonio Rendón Sarmiento would celebrate the first mass on the day of San Lorenzo in San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, a small town that currently has no more than 100 inhabitants and is located in the middle of the desert. With the independence of Peru in 1821, the region formed the department of Arequipa, then the department of Moquegua in 1857 to finally obtain the category of department of Tarapacá in 1877.

During the War of the Pacific in 1879, the Chilean army invaded the Peruvian department of Tarapacá, turning the area into the headquarters of the main combats; the beginning of the various confrontations occurred with the Battle of Arica on June 7, 1880. After these battles, Peru controlled the territories and began the colonization process.

The Treaty of Ancón (1884) established the perpetuity delivery of the department of Tarapacá to Peru, and the temporary administration of the provinces of Arica and Tacna, until a plebiscite was held. This plebiscite was never held, but the 1929 Treaty of Lima was signed, which allowed the return of Tacna to Peru and the final transfer of Arica to Chile. The treaty also defines that Chile may not cede sovereignty over the region without prior consultation with Peru.

Municipal Theatre of Iquique, built during the fleeting boom.

The nitrate exploitation allowed the development of the area. Pisagua and Iquique became large ports and several oficinas salitreras were born. The economy flourished and the nitrate boom reported a large amount of income for the Chilean state between the end of the XIX century and the beginning of the century XX. However, most of the companies were in European and North American hands, and the workers were in a cruel and exploitative system. Several protests were held in which the workers and their families demanded salaries and decent living conditions. The most significant protest was carried out by the workers, of different nationalities, who descended on the Santa María school in 1907 to pressure the local authorities. to help their cause, however, they were assassinated by military units Massacre of the Santa María de Iquique School (1907). But the boom ended in the mid-twenties with the creation of synthetic saltpeter, causing economic chaos in the region, famine and the closure of thousands of small citadels that spread throughout the desert.

In the middle of 2005, a strong earthquake, with its epicenter in the vicinity of the town of Camiña, devastated the small towns in the interior, with a magnitude of 7.9 degrees on the Richter scale.

The existence of two large cities fighting for leadership in the region has caused an eternal rivalry between Arica and Iquique. This generated, after years of struggle by the Arica community, the creation of the region of Arica and Parinacota, which integrates the provinces of Arica and Parinacota, while the former province of Iquique was divided in two. Law No. 20175 was promulgated on March 23, 2007, by President Michelle Bachelet, in the city of Arica, and entered into force on October 8, 2007. On October 9, in an act held in the old saltpeter office Santiago Humberstone, the province of Tamarugal entered into force.

Government and administration

Political-administrative division

Since 2007, the Tarapacá region, whose capital is the city of Iquique, for government and internal administration purposes, is divided into 2 provinces.

• Iquique Provincewhose capital is Iquique.
• Province of Tamarugalwhose capital is Pozo Almonte.

While these two provinces are subdivided into seven communes ―Huara, Camiña, Colchane, Pica, Pozo Almonte, Alto Hospicio and Iquique―.

Province Capital Commune Iquique Iquique High Hospice Iquique The Tamarugal Pozo Almonte Camiña Colchane Huara Pica Pozo Almonte

Huara Camiña Colchane Pica Pozo Almonte HighHospice Iquique

Authorities

The administration of the region of the executive power resides in the Regional Government of Tarapacá, constituted by the Governor of Tarapacá and by the Regional Council, in addition to having the presence of the Presidential Delegate of Tarapacá and the provincial presidential delegate of Tamarugal, representatives of the central government of the country.

For the purposes of local administration, the provinces are divided into seven communes ―Huara, Camiña, Colchane, Pica, Pozo Almonte, Alto Hospicio and Iquique― all governed by their respective municipalities.

The legislative power is represented and territorially divided through the 2nd senatorial constituency of the Chilean Senate, made up of two senators, and the 2nd electoral district of the Chamber of Deputies, made up of three deputies, who represent the communes of Huara, Camiña, Colchane, Pica, Pozo Almonte, Alto Hospicio and Iquique.

Geography and climate

It has an area of 42,225 km², which in terms of extension is similar to that of Switzerland.

Due to its location, it is a region of desert characteristics. Its geography is made up of 5 clearly demarcated longitudinal stripes. The coastal plains are very scarce and almost non-existent, with the exception of Iquique, due to the presence of the Cordillera de la Costa, which rises on the Camaraca hill, 30 kilometers south of the Concordia line, in the neighboring Arica Region. and Parinacotta. This mountain range does not have great heights but falls abruptly to the sea. The Intermediate Depression is about 40 kilometers wide and 500 kilometers long. The so-called pampas are formed between the ravines, the largest being the Tamarugal pampa. This area marks the beginning of the Atacama desert.

The Andes mountain range is divided into two arms: an eastern one that runs through Bolivia and a western one that passes through Chile. Here are some volcanoes that rise above 5000 meters of altitude, such as Isluga. The high plateau, which is located between the eastern and western cordons, has an average altitude of 4,000 meters. Here is the Quantija lagoon and salt flats such as those of Huasco and Coposa, and bofedales. In them there is a great biodiversity, standing out animals such as llamas, guanacos, vicuñas, alpacas and flamingos, and flora such as the llareta. The altitude generates in many people the so-called altitude sickness or puna, due to the lower atmospheric pressure than what they are used to.

The climate is notoriously different between the coast, the pampas and the highlands. On the coast, temperatures are mild due to the effect produced by the sea, staying between 20º and 25º throughout the year. The highlands present very sudden changes in temperature, ranging from 30º during the day to -30º at night. Something similar happens in the desert, but never with such low temperatures. Precipitations are practically nil, but the few existing ones normally occur in the Andean highlands during the southern summer (February). This effect is known as the altiplanic winter or Bolivian high.

In the coastal sector, temperatures are pleasant, with little marked daily and seasonal variations. Towards the interior, considering as an absolute desert, the atmospheric dryness is extreme and the daily thermal oscillations are very wide.

The hydrography is represented by streams that are born in the pre-Andean cords, such as Camiña or Tana, which reaches the sea only sporadically. The Tamarugal pampa is an endorheic basin, that is, its runoff drains towards interior depressions and salt flats, as is the case with the Tarapacá and Guatacondo ravines.

Demographics

Iquique.

Pica.

According to the data provided by the INE 2017 Census, the region is populated by 330,558 inhabitants. Its density reaches 5.65 inhabitants per km².

The city that registered the highest population growth in the region was Iquique, which reached 196,562 inhabitants.

At the city level, the most populated are:

• Iquique, with 196 562 inhabitants.
• High Hospicio, with 124 877 inhabitants.
• Pozo Almonte, with 15711 inhabitants.
• Pica, with 9296 inhabitants.
• Huara, with 2730 inhabitants.

Basic indicators (historical series)

The historical series of basic indicators for the Tarapacá region is presented below:

Source: I.N.E. (Chile)

Economy

The economy of the region is based primarily on the extraction of natural resources, especially mining and commercial fishing. In 2018, the number of companies registered in the Tarapacá region was 8,896. The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) in the same year was -1.14, while the economic activities with the highest Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index were Manufacture of Primary Accumulators and Batteries (44.53), Activities of the Judiciary (24.67) and Repair of Bearings, Gears, Gear Trains and Transmission Parts (21.67).

At the end of the XIX century, the main wealth of this region was nitrate, being at the same time the main export product of the nation Currently, the extraction of copper is the one that leads this sector after the start-up of the mining projects, Quebrada Blanca and Cerro Colorado.

The extraction of other types of minerals is also noteworthy, such as salt in the Punta de Lobos deposit (the most important in Chile) and diatomite.

The abundance of fishing resources (especially anchoveta and horse mackerel) has turned this item into one of the main sources of income. However, the effect of the El Niño Phenomenon has produced large losses in this area.

Agriculture and livestock are almost nil, due to the aridity of the land. However, there are certain crops in the areas of ravines, especially olives, citrus fruits and mangoes, as well as cattle ranching.

The Iquique Free Trade Zone (ZOFRI) has caused the progress of commercial development, especially in the sale of automobiles and technological products, something very attractive for a large number of Chileans.

Tourism is very important, due to having some of the best beaches in the country, the temperature of its waters, the beauty of the Andean highlands. It has one of the best tourist developments nationwide. Highlights include the Iquique casino, Cavancha beach on the city's coast and the old Humberstone and Santa Laura nitrate offices, near the regional capital, recently declared World Heritage Sites.

Culture

The influence of traditions is reflected in the festival of La Tirana that now takes place on July 16 in the town of La Tirana, where through the performance of dances such as "la diablada" "the dark ones" "the gypsies" "the kullaguadas" "both" among others who seek to venerate the Virgen del Carmen.

Every August 10, in the town of San Lorenzo de Tarapacá the festival is celebrated in honor of San Lorenzo also with religious dances.

Dancers at the party of La Tirana, the main religious celebration of northern Chile. Flag of San Lorenzo de Tarapacá. Flag proposal for the Tarapacá region. The colors symbolize different elements, the white to the golden age of the salitre, the red to the soldiers of the Pacific War and the blue to the sea and the sky. The 3 stars symbolize the countries that exercised sovereignty in the region: Spain, Peru and Chile. Flag proposal for the Tarapacá region, with the typical colors of San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, which despite the religious pluralism in the region, have historically represented it, as they engalanan local cities and towns in popular holidays during the year. In addition, yellow symbolizes mining wealth and the imposing desert, and red the blood of indigenous and workers killed in Marusia, La Coruña or the Santa María de Iquique School. The sun represents par excellence the Andean character of the Tarapaqueño territory.