San Juan de Marcona facts for kids
San Juan de Marcona is a town in Peru. It is the main town of the Marcona District in the Nazca Province, which is part of the Ica Region. About 20,000 people live there. San Juan de Marcona is known for its mining, trade, port, and fishing activities. People often call it the "iron capital" because of the iron mines. It's also a special place for the Humboldt penguin on the Peruvian coast.
History of Marcona
Marcona became important in 1952. This was when people first started digging for iron from the ground. Also, a pier was built in San Juan by an American mining company called Marcona Mining Company.
But people lived in this area long before that. Scientists have found old remains in places like San Nicolás and San Fernando. These show that ancient Peruvians lived in these desert areas a long time ago.
The sea near Marcona has also seen some famous ship accidents. One was the wreck of the ship BAP Rimac in 1855. More than 500 people died, but about 20 survived. One of the survivors was the famous Peruvian writer Ricardo Palma. Later, in the early 1900s, another ship called "Italia" was lost in the same area.
In 1870, a smart Italian man named Antonio Raimondi wrote about finding a lot of iron in Marcona. Years later, in 1915, the first detailed searches for iron began. A local guide named Justo Pastor helped engineers find the iron. In 1925, the president at the time, Augusto B. Leguía, made Marcona a "National Reserve." This was to make sure the iron could be used in the future.
In the early 1900s, many fishermen came to Marcona. They came from towns like Pisco and Callao. They were looking for the many fish and seafood found in the bays of San Nicolás and San Juan. These fishermen helped create the small fishing villages you can still see today.
In 1943, the Peruvian government created a company called Corporación Peruana del Santa. Its job was to use the coal and iron found in Peru. This company also built a steel factory in Chimbote, Peru. Later, after it was clear there was a lot of iron in Marcona, American companies formed the Marcona Mining Company. This led to a small mining town growing around the port of San Juan.
Pacific Ocean Highway and Airport
Marcona is one of three ports in Peru that are part of the Interoceanic Highway. This highway is a big road project. It connects the state of Acre in the Amazon Basin of Brazil to the Pacific Ocean. It crosses the Andes mountains.
The town also has its own airport, called the San Juan de Marcona Airport.
Marcona Mine
The biggest business in Marcona is the Marcona Mine. This is an open-pit iron mine. An open-pit mine means the iron is dug up from a large hole in the ground, not from tunnels. In 1992, a Chinese company called Shougang Corporation bought the mine. In Peru, they are known as Shougang Hiero Peru.
See also
- In Spanish: Marcona para niños
