Atacama Region

The Atacama Region (Spanish: Región de Atacama) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It includes three provinces: Chañaral, Copiapó and Huasco. The region is bordered to the north by Antofagasta, to the south by Coquimbo, to the east by Argentina, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its capital, Copiapó, lies 806 km north of Santiago, the country's capital.

The Atacama Region covers the southern part of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth. North of the Copiapó River, the land is a true desert, while south of it, the area is mostly semi-arid. In the northern inland area, there are active volcanoes that belong to the Central Volcanic Zone of Andes.

Mining has always been important in this region. It saw a silver rush from 1832 to 1850 and later a strong growth in iron mining from 1952 to 1966. The region also contains valuable reserves of gold, copper and lithium. Agriculture mainly happens in the valleys of Copiapó and Huasco, where dams like Lautaro and Santa Juana help with irrigation. Farmers grow table grapes, olives, alfalfa and pisco grapes.

Demography

The Atacama Region is one of the least crowded parts of the country, with only a few people living there. Most of the people live in two main cities: Copiapó and Vallenar.

Some of the biggest towns in the Atacama Region are Copiapó, Vallenar, Caldera, Chañaral, Tierra Amarilla, Diego de Almagro, and Huasco. These towns are where many families and communities call home.

History

See also: 1420 Caldera earthquake and Chilean silver rush

The area was first home to the Diaguitas and Changos people. A big change happened when the Chañarcillo silver mine was found by Juan Godoy in 1832, bringing growth to the region.

Natural features

The Atacama Region in Chile is mostly a desert and has many important minerals. It is home to many plants and animals, including a special type of large bird called the lesser rhea. This bird is in danger because of hunting and because land is being used for farming to feed more people.

The area has four main areas where valuable metals can be found. From west to east, these areas contain copper and iron, silver and gold, more copper, and gold near the border with Argentina.

Economy

See also: Iron mining in Chile and Chilean pisco

Mining is very important in the Atacama Region. It makes up 41% of the area's money made and 90% of what it sells to other countries. The main mining here is for copper, but there are also mines for iron and gold. Many small mines sell their products to a national company called ENAMI, which processes them at a place called the Paipote smelter. Two big copper mines in the area are Candelaria and El Salvador, and they send their products to the port of Chañaral to be shipped out.

Besides mining, the Atacama Region also grows a lot of fresh fruit. The Copiapó and Huasco valleys have become big places for growing fruit. Because the weather there is sunny, the fruit ripens earlier than elsewhere in Chile, so it can reach markets in the northern hemisphere first. The main fruits grown are grapes, but there are also olives, tomatoes, peppers, onions, broad beans, citrus fruits, nectarines, apricots, oregano, and flowers. The area is also good for fishing and growing things like scallops, oysters, abalone, and different kinds of mussels. The clear weather in the Atacama Desert is perfect for making solar power, and many solar power plants are being built there.