Tarapacá Region

Tarapacá Region
I Región de Tarapacá
Region of Chile
Flag of Tarapacá Region
Flag
Coat of Arms of Tarapacá Region
Coat of arms

Map of Tarapacá Region
Country  Chile
Capital Iquique
Provinces Iquique, Tamarugal
Government
  Intendant Claudia Rojas
Area[1]
  Total 41,799.5 km2 (16,138.9 sq mi)
Area rank 6
Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2012 census)[1]
  Total 295,095
  Rank 12
  Density 7.1/km2 (18/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code CL-TA
Website Official website (Spanish)
Teatro Municipal de Iquique, built during the salt boom
Iquique
Dancers in the Fiesta de La Tirana, the main religious festival in northern Chile

The I Tarapacá Region (Spanish: I Región de Tarapacá) is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It borders the Chilean Arica and Parinacota Region to the north, Bolivia's Oruro Department on the east, the Antofagasta Region on the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west. The port city of Iquique (2002 pop. 216,419) is the region's capital.

Much of the region was once the Tarapacá Province of Peru, which was annexed by Chile under the 1883 Treaty of Ancón at the close of the War of the Pacific. The region was important economically as a site of intense saltpeter mining, before synthetic nitrate manufacturing became possible. A number of abandoned mining towns can still be found in the region.

The present day Tarapacá Region was created in 2007 by subdividing the former Tarapacá Region under Law 20.175, which was signed by President Michelle Bachelet in Arica.[2]

Administration

The government of the region resides in the intendant, who is assigned by the president. Each of the region's two provinces are further subdivided into communes.

Province Capital Commune Other towns
Iquique Iquique Iquique
Alto Hospicio
Tamarugal Pozo Almonte Huara Pisagua
Camiña
Colchane
Pica
Pozo Almonte Mamiña

Climate

A desert climate dominates the region. Near the coast, cloudiness can limit the temperature swing throughout the day, but in other drier areas, temperatures can vary greatly as is typical in deserts. A marginal desert region can be found over 3,000 m (9,843 ft) above sea level, which sees milder temperatures and summer rains.[2]

Rivers

Economic activities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Tarapacá Region". Government of Chile Foreign Investment Committee. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Arica-Parinacota Region". 9 March 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tarapacá Region.


20°17′S 69°20′W / 20.283°S 69.333°W / -20.283; -69.333Coordinates: 20°17′S 69°20′W / 20.283°S 69.333°W / -20.283; -69.333

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.