Antofagasta Region facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Antofagasta (II Región de Antofagasta) |
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| Region of Chile | |||
 The city of Antofagasta
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| Country |  Chile |
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| Provinces | Antofagasta, El Loa, Tocopilla | ||
| Capital | Antofagasta | ||
| - coordinates | 23°38′S 70°24′W / 23.633°S 70.400°W | ||
| Highest point | Llullaico | ||
| - location | Puna de Atacama, Andes | ||
| - elevation | 6,739 m (22,110 ft) | ||
| Lowest point | Sea level | ||
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | ||
| Area | 126,049.1 km² (48,668 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 622,640 (2015) | ||
| Density | 5 /km² (13 /sq mi) | ||
| Intendant | Valentín Volta Valencia | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | CL-AN | ||
The II Antofagasta Region (Spanish: II Región de Antofagasta) is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is the second-largest region of Chile. To the east it borders Bolivia and Argentina.
The capital of the region is the port city of Antofagasta.
History
The area away from the coast was populated by the Atacama people around the great dry salt lake called Salar de Atacama, the river basin of the Loa and valleys and oasis across the altiplano, with the most important settlement being the town of San Pedro de Atacama.
The region used to be Bolivian until the War of the Pacific started in 1879.
Geography
The Antofagasta region borders the Tarapacá region to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the southeast, the Atacama region to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
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Tarapacá region | Bolivia | |
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| Pacific Ocean |  |
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 Antofagasta  |
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| Atacama region | Argentina |
The Llullaillaco volcano is the region's highest elevation at 6,739 m (22,110 ft); it is on the border with Argentina.
The only river of the region is the Loa river, the longest river of Chile, with a length of 440 km (273 mi).
Climate
The climate of the region is extremely arid (a desert climate) but somewhat milder near the coast and the highest mountains.
The three types of desert climate in the region are, (with the Köppen climate classification)
- Coastal Desert Climate (BWn), along the coast.
- Normal Desert Climate (BW)
- Desert Climate in High Mountains (BWh), found in mountains over 3,000 m (9,843 ft) high.
Nearly all of the region does not have any vegetation except close to the Loa river or at oases such as San Pedro de Atacama.
Population
As of 2015[update], there were (estimated) 622,640 persons living in the region, for a population density of 4.9 inhabitants/km².
The largest cities (2002 census) of the region are the capitals of the three provincesː Antofagasta (285,255 inhabitants), Calama (126,135 inhabitants) and Tocopilla (23,352 inhabitants).
Administration
The Antofagasta region is divided in three provincesː
| Provinces | Capital | Code | Comunas | Area (km²) |
Population 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antofagasta (021) |
Antofagasta | 02101 | 1 Antofagasta | 30,718.1 | 296,905 |
| 02102 | 2 Mejillones | 3,803.9 | 8,418 | ||
| 02103 | 3 Sierra Gorda | 12,886.4 | 2,356 | ||
| 02104 | 4 Taltal | 20,405.1 | 11,100 | ||
| Total of the Antofagasta province | 67,813.5 | 318,779 | |||
| El Loa (022) |
Calama | 02201 | 5 Calama | 15,596.9 | 138,402 |
| 02202 | 6 Ollagüe | 2,963.9 | 318 | ||
| 02203 | 7 San Pedro de Atacama | 23,438.8 | 4,969 | ||
| Total of the El Loa province | 41,999.6 | 143,689 | |||
| Tocopilla (023) |
Tocopilla | 02301 | 9 Tocopilla | 4,038.8 | 23,986 |
| 02302 | 8 María Elena | 12,197.2 | 7,530 | ||
| Total of the Tocopilla province | 16,236.0 | 31,516 | |||
| Total of the region | 126,049.1 | 493,984 | |||
Related pages
- Atacama Desert
- List of volcanoes in Chile
| Regions of Chile |  |
|---|---|
| Arica y Parinacota | Tarapacá | Antofagasta | Atacama | Coquimbo | Valparaíso | O'Higgins | Maule | Bío Bío | La Araucanía | Los Ríos | Los Lagos | Aysén | Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena | RM Santiago | |
Images for kids
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The city of Antofagasta.
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Atacama Desert, Vista before sunset.
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Overview of the Port Angamos at evening (Mejillones).
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Mining is the main economic generator in the region.
See also
In Spanish: Región de Antofagasta para niños
