City and Commune in Tarapaca, Chile
Iquique
(
Spanish pronunciation:
[i?kike]
) is a port
city
and
commune
in northern
Chile
, capital of both the
Iquique Province
and
Tarapaca Region
. It lies on the
Pacific coast
, west of the
Pampa del Tamarugal
, which is part of the
Atacama Desert
. It has a population of 191,468 according to the 2017 census.
[2]
It is also the main commune of
Greater Iquique
. The city developed during the heyday of the
saltpetre
mining in the Atacama Desert in the 19th century. Once a Peruvian city with a large Chilean population, it was conquered by Chile in the
War of the Pacific
(1879?1883). Today it is one of only two
free ports
of Chile, the other one being
Punta Arenas
, in the country's far south.
History
[
edit
]
Although the city was founded in the 16th century, there is evidence of habitation in the area by the
Chango
people as early as 7,000 BC. During colonial times, Iquique was part of the
Viceroyalty of Peru
as much of South America was at the time, and remained part of
Peruvian
territory until the end of the 19th century. Iquique's early development was due in large part to the discovery of mineral riches, particularly the presence of large deposits of
sodium nitrate
in the
Atacama Desert
(then part of Peruvian territory) ; and guano.
[3]
In July 1835,
Charles Darwin
, during his voyage on the
Beagle
, traveled to Iquique and described it as a town "very much in want of everyday necessities, such as water and firewood". These necessities had to be brought in from considerable distances. Darwin also visited the
saltpetre works
.
The city has been devastated by several earthquakes, including the
1868 Arica earthquake
, the
1877 Iquique earthquake
, and the
2005 Tarapaca earthquake
. The
2014 Iquique earthquake
occurred with a
moment magnitude
of 8.2 on April 1, 2014.
Territorial disputes
between Bolivia and Chile triggered the
War of the Pacific
in 1879. The
Battle of Iquique
was fought in the harbor of Iquique on May 21, 1879, now commemorated as
Navy Day
, an annual
public holiday in Chile
. The outcome of the war gave Chile this portion of the Peruvian territory.
Over the years there was substantial emigration from other parts of Chile to this area which was called the
Norte Grande
. In subsequent years the further exportation of Chilean saltpetre (mainly to European countries) significantly helped in the development of the city, attracting foreigners and rapidly expanding housing projects.
In December 1907, the city was marred by the
Santa Maria de Iquique Massacre
when the
Chilean Army
, under the command of Gen.
Roberto Silva Renard
, opened fire on thousands of saltpetre miners, and their wives and children, who assembled inside the Santa Maria School. The workers had marched into town to protest their working conditions and wages. Somewhere between 500 and 2,000 people were killed. The folk group
Quilapayun
recorded an album in remembrance of the event (
Cantata Santa Maria de Iquique
) in 1970. In December 2007 a series of cultural and ceremonial activities were planned, culminating in the week between December 14 to 21, to commemorate the centenary year of the massacre.
Mars 96 was launched by Russia in 1996, but failed to leave the Earth orbit, and re-entered the atmosphere a few hours later. The two RTGs onboard carried 200 g of plutonium in total and are assumed to have survived the re-entry as they were designed to do. They are thought to now lie somewhere in a northeast-southwest running oval 320 km (199 mi) long by 80 km (50 mi) wide, which is centred 32 km (20 mi) east of Iquique, Chile.
[4]
Prior to becoming Chilean territory, Iquique was home to some of the greatest Peruvian heroes, namely
Alfonso Ugarte
(who was elected mayor in 1876),
Ramon Zavala
, a rich saltpetre entrepreneur;
Guillermo Billinghurst
, later President of Peru (who after being overthrown in 1914 came to Iquique ? then already under Chilean rule ? to live out his last years), and
Ramon Castilla
, three times president of Peru, who was born in
San Lorenzo de Tarapaca
and died in the Desert of Tiviliche,
Tarapaca
, who lived in Iquique during his mandate as Governor of Tarapaca in 1825.
Governance
[
edit
]
As a commune, Iquique is a third-level
administrative division of Chile
administered by a
municipal council
, headed by an
alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2012?2016 alcalde is Jorge Soria.
[1]
Within the
electoral divisions of Chile
, Iquique is represented in the
Chamber of Deputies
by Marta Isasi (
Ind.
) and Hugo Gutierrez (
PC
) as part of the 2nd electoral district, which includes the entire
Tarapaca Region
. The commune is represented in the
Senate
by
Jose Miguel Insulza
(PS, 2018?2026) and Jose Durana (UDI, 2018?2026) as part of the 1st senatorial constituency (
Arica and Parinacota Region
and Tarapaca Region).
Economy
[
edit
]
Iquique has one of the largest duty-free commercial port centers of South America, the
Zona Franca of Iquique
(free zone of Iquique) which has been traditionally called
Zofri
. There are around 2.4 square kilometres (0.93 sq mi) of warehouses, banking branches, and restaurants.
Copper mining, mainly in Quebrada Blanca, Cerro Colorado, and Dona Ines de Collahuasi, is also an important industry in Iquique.
Demographics
[
edit
]
According to the 2002 census of
National Statistics Institute
(
INE
), the commune of Iquique had an area of 2,835.3 km
2
(1,095 sq mi)
[2]
and 216,419 inhabitants (108,897 men and 107,522 women). Of these, 214,586 (99.2%) lived in urban areas and 1,833 (0.9%) in rural areas. The township has an area of 2,262.4 km
2
(874 sq mi) and a population of 166,204 inhabitants. The population grew by 42.7% (64,742 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
[2]
Iquique is home to 56% of the total population of the Tarapaca region. In 2008, the city had 226,204 inhabitants.
Iquique commune is divided into the following districts:
[5]
District
|
2002 Population Census
|
Area (km
2
)
|
Port
|
3,721
|
0.8
|
Industrial District
|
12,800
|
65.4
|
Hospital
|
11,087
|
5.1
|
Caupolican
|
19,486
|
2.2
|
Playa Brava
|
18,580
|
2.1
|
Cavancha
|
13,729
|
1.4
|
Parque Balmaceda
|
10,843
|
1.1
|
Arturo Prat
|
10,773
|
1.0
|
Punta Lobos
|
1,592
|
2,127.8
|
Gomez Carreno
|
23,165
|
1.7
|
La Tirana
|
40,428
|
33.5
|
There is a significant percentage of ethnic group colony residents. The most numerous communities are
Croatian
,
Italian
,
Greek
, Chinese,
Arabic
nationalities,
Peruvians
and
Bolivians
, British peoples (i.e.
Scots
), and the French.
In the 1910s and 1920s, about a thousand
East Indian
(from India and
Pakistani
)
Chile saltpetre
mine workers hired by British mine companies appeared in Iquique and today, their descendants are mixed into the local population.
[
citation needed
]
Lately, a wave of
North American
and Australian immigrants came to retire and enjoy the city's beach climate. Immigrants currently correspond to 9.2% of the total population.
[6]
Population evolution of the commune of Iquique:
[5]
Year
|
1992
|
2002
|
Population
|
146,089
|
166,204
|
Population evolution of the city of Iquique:
[5]
Year
|
1992
|
2002
|
Population
|
145,139
|
164,396
|
Climate
[
edit
]
Iquique has an unusually mild to warm
desert climate
(
Koppen
:
BWh
) with low extremes of temperatures all year round and almost no rainfall. Due to its abundant cloudiness and coastal location, the climate is often abbreviated to
BWn
, as opposed to the usual
BWh
or
BWk
.
[7]
It is common for this place to have completely dry years without any precipitation day, making it one of the driest cities in the world, along with
Arica
.
Climate data for Iquique (1991?2020, extremes 1981?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
31.2
(88.2)
|
30.6
(87.1)
|
31.1
(88.0)
|
30.4
(86.7)
|
28.0
(82.4)
|
24.1
(75.4)
|
33.4
(92.1)
|
31.0
(87.8)
|
23.4
(74.1)
|
24.2
(75.6)
|
25.5
(77.9)
|
27.8
(82.0)
|
33.4
(92.1)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
25.4
(77.7)
|
25.9
(78.6)
|
24.9
(76.8)
|
22.7
(72.9)
|
20.5
(68.9)
|
18.7
(65.7)
|
17.8
(64.0)
|
17.8
(64.0)
|
18.5
(65.3)
|
19.8
(67.6)
|
21.5
(70.7)
|
23.5
(74.3)
|
21.4
(70.5)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
22.0
(71.6)
|
22.2
(72.0)
|
21.3
(70.3)
|
19.5
(67.1)
|
17.8
(64.0)
|
16.5
(61.7)
|
15.6
(60.1)
|
15.6
(60.1)
|
16.1
(61.0)
|
17.1
(62.8)
|
18.6
(65.5)
|
20.3
(68.5)
|
18.6
(65.5)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
18.9
(66.0)
|
18.9
(66.0)
|
18.1
(64.6)
|
16.5
(61.7)
|
15.3
(59.5)
|
14.5
(58.1)
|
13.9
(57.0)
|
13.9
(57.0)
|
14.4
(57.9)
|
15.2
(59.4)
|
16.2
(61.2)
|
17.5
(63.5)
|
16.1
(61.0)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
14.8
(58.6)
|
14.7
(58.5)
|
13.0
(55.4)
|
11.7
(53.1)
|
9.9
(49.8)
|
8.5
(47.3)
|
8.3
(46.9)
|
7.6
(45.7)
|
9.0
(48.2)
|
8.5
(47.3)
|
11.9
(53.4)
|
12.4
(54.3)
|
7.6
(45.7)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.1
(0.00)
|
0.3
(0.01)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.1
(0.00)
|
0.2
(0.01)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.1
(0.00)
|
0.8
(0.03)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 1.0 mm)
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.2
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
66
|
66
|
68
|
70
|
71
|
71
|
71
|
72
|
71
|
70
|
68
|
67
|
69
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
317.8
|
296.2
|
297.9
|
252.5
|
211.4
|
161.0
|
151.2
|
158.2
|
189.7
|
235.6
|
275.7
|
315.1
|
2,862.3
|
Source 1: Direccion Meteorologica de Chile
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
|
Source 2:
NOAA
(precipitation days 1991?2020)
[12]
|
Transport
[
edit
]
Iquique is served by
Diego Aracena International Airport
(Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Diego Aracena) (IATA: IQQ, ICAO: SCDA). The airport is on the Pacific coast 48 kilometers (30 mi) south of the city.
Sport
[
edit
]
Iquique is home to football team
Deportes Iquique
. It hosted the
2016 FIRS Women's Roller Hockey World Cup
.
Notable residents
[
edit
]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Baquedano Boulevard
-
Downtown Iquique
-
Municipal Theater of Iquique
-
Iquique Municipal Theatre at night
-
Plaza Prat
-
Mall Zofri at Night
-
21-May Square
-
Trans-Atacama Tour Train
-
Arturo Prat University (Main campus from Chile)
-
Arturo Prat University's Architecture-Faculty campus.
-
Santo Tomas University Iquique campus.
-
Slava Square .
-
Iquique Skatepark.
-
Cavancha Beach's Craft Market.
-
Cavancha beach at the end of Cavancha peninsula
-
The underwater-themed mural situated in Cavancha Peninsula
-
1934 nautical chart of Iquique
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Municipality of Iquique"
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
October 31,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"National Statistics Institute"
(in Spanish)
. Retrieved
September 9,
2010
.
- ^
[1]
- ^
Mars 96 timeline
, NASA
- ^
a
b
c
"Territorial division of Chile"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 8, 2013
. Retrieved
October 31,
2010
.
- ^
http://latercera.com/contenido/680_194898_9.shtml
Archived
July 13, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
Iquique has almost 10% of its foreign population.
- ^
Cereceda, P.; Larrain, H.; osses, P.; Farias, M.; Egana, I. (2008). "The climate of the coast and fog zone in the Tarapaca Region, Atacama Desert, Chile".
Atmospheric Research
.
87
(3?4): 301?311.
Bibcode
:
2008AtmRe..87..301C
.
doi
:
10.1016/j.atmosres.2007.11.011
.
hdl
:
10533/139314
.
- ^
"Datos Normales y Promedios Historicos Promedios de 30 anos o menos"
(in Spanish). Direccion Meteorologica de Chile.
Archived
from the original on May 21, 2023
. Retrieved
May 20,
2023
.
- ^
"Temperaturas Medias y Extremas en 30 Anos-Entre los anos: 1991 al 2020-Nombre estacion: Diego Aracena Iquique Ap"
(in Spanish). Direccion Meteorologica de Chile. Archived from
the original
on May 21, 2023
. Retrieved
May 21,
2023
.
- ^
"Temperatura Historica de la Estacion Diego Aracena Iquique Ap. (200006)"
(in Spanish). Direccion Meteorologica de Chile. Archived from
the original
on May 21, 2023
. Retrieved
May 20,
2023
.
- ^
"Estadistica Climatologica Tomo I"
(PDF)
(in Spanish). Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil. March 2001. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on June 30, 2017
. Retrieved
January 4,
2013
.
- ^
"Diego Aracena Aeropuerto Iquique Climate Normals 1991?2020"
.
World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991?2020)
.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Archived from
the original
on August 4, 2023
. Retrieved
August 4,
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Iquique
.
Chilean
cities with a population of over 150,000 (2017 census)
|
---|
|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Geographic
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|