Chañaral
| Chañaral | ||
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Coordinates: 26 ° 21 ′ S , 70 ° 37 ′ W Chañaral on the map of Chile
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| Basic data | ||
| Country | Chile | |
| region | Atacama region | |
| City foundation | October 26, 1833 | |
| Residents | 12,500 | |
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| Detailed data | ||
| Waters | Río Salado | |
| Post Code | 1490000 | |
| Time zone | UTC −4 | |
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Chañaral is a city in the Lesser North of Chile in the Región de Atacama , Province of Chañaral . It has 12,500 inhabitants (as of 2005).
Geography and climate
The port city of Chañaral is located at the mouth of the Río Salado in the Pacific, in the southern Atacama Desert , 788 km north of Santiago and 167 km north of Copiapó . The climate is hyper- arid with an average annual rainfall of 12.3 ± 15.7 mm (determined over 47 years).
history
The Changos lived in the area as early as pre-Hispanic times . In 1824 a copper mine was built. On October 26, 1833, the city was officially founded by Diego de Almeyda de Aracena y Godoy . From 1860 onwards, large metal smelters developed in the city. The city has its current importance as a local administrative center.
Attractions
The city has wonderful long beaches, which are not necessarily ideal for swimming. These beaches consist of the flotation residues of copper extraction derived from the mining area of Potrerillos and El Salvador from 1926 to 1975 . 30 km north of the city is the Pan de Azúcar National Park directly on the Pacific, known for its many cacti, z. B. Copiapeen.
Chañaral has its own museum, Museo de Historia Natural , which has a collection of local insects, something about local geology and mining in the Quebrada de las Animas, Atacama Desert. The Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen church, built in 1864, was declared a national monument in 1985.
economy
Tourism is an important economic factor in Chañaral, as is mining and the port. The city lies on the Panamericana and is an important stopover to the north to Antofagasta , Iquique and Arica .
See also
literature
- Omar Monroy López, Gastón Ahumada, Alvaro Herrera Miller: Chañaral 1833-2000 - Una historia el desierto (2000), Copiapó Chile.
Individual evidence
- ^ Lloyd, John W. "The Hydrogeology and Utilization of Brines in El Salado, Chile." Ground Water 12.2 (1974): 72-77. ( online ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. PDF 461 kB)
