Iquique () is a port

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and commune in northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, capital of both the

Iquique Province Iquique Province () is one of two provinces in the northern Chilean region of Tarapacá. Its capital is the port city of Iquique. History Until October 2007, the Province of Iquique was composed of 7 communes: Alto Hospicio, Camina, Colchane, Hu ...

and

Tarapacá Region The Tarapacá Region (, ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order Administrative divisions of Chile, administrative divisions. It comprises two provinces, Iquique Province, Iquique and Tamarugal Province, Tamarugal. It borders the Chilean Arica y Par ...

. It lies on the

Pacific coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas North America Countries on the western side of North America have a Pacific coast as their western or south-western border. One of th ...

, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the

Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of , which increases to if the barre ...

. It has a population of 191,468 according to the 2017 census. It is also the main commune of Greater Iquique. The city developed during the heyday of the

saltpetre Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula . It is a potassium salt of nitric acid. This salt consists of potassium cations and nitrate anions , and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate ...

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 The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

(1879–1883). Today it is one of only two

free port A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...

s of Chile, the other one being

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...

, in the country's far south.

History

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 The Viceroyalty of Peru (), officially known as the Kingdom of Peru (), was a Monarchy of Spain, Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in ...

as much of South America was at the time, and remained part of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian 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 Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt (chemistry), salt is also known as Chile saltpeter (large deposits of which were historically mined in Chile) to distinguish it from ordi ...

in the

(then part of Peruvian territory) ; and guano. In July 1835,

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

, 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 Tarapacá earthquake. The

2014 Iquique earthquake The 2014 Iquique earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on 1 April, with a moment magnitude of 8.1–8.2, at 20:46 Time in Chile, local time (23:46 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC). The epicenter of the earthquake was approximately northwest ...

occurred with a moment magnitude of 8.2 on April 1, 2014. Combate Naval Iquique-Thomas Somerscales

Territorial disputes A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of territories (land, water or airspace) between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the ...

between Bolivia and Chile triggered the

in 1879. The

Battle of Iquique The Battle of Iquique was a Naval warfare, naval engagement on 21 May 1879, during the War of the Pacific, where a Chile, Chilean corvette commanded by Arturo Prat, Arturo Prat Chacón faced a Peru, Peruvian Ironclad warship, ironclad under Mig ...

was fought in the harbor of Iquique on May 21, 1879, now commemorated as

Navy Day Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. By country Argentina The Argentine Navy day is celebrated on May 17, anniversary of the victory achieved in 1814 against the Spanish fleet in the action of 14 ...

, 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 María 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 María 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

Quilapayún Quilapayún () are a folk music group from Chile and among the longest lasting and most influential ambassadors of the ''Nueva canción, Nueva Canción Chilena'' movement and genre. Formed during the mid-1960s, the group became inseparable with t ...

recorded an album in remembrance of the event ( Cantata Santa María 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 long by wide, which is centred east of Iquique, Chile.Mars 96 timeline
NASA Prior to becoming Chilean territory, Iquique was home to some of the greatest Peruvian heroes, namely

Alfonso Ugarte Alfonso Ugarte (July 13, 1847 – June 7, 1880) was a Peruvian civilian turned military commander during the War of the Pacific, between Peru and Bolivia against Chile. He held the rank of colonel. Early life Ugarte was born in Tarapacá Prov ...

(who was elected mayor in 1876), Ramón 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 Ramón Castilla, thrice president of Peru, who was born in San Lorenzo de Tarapacá and died in the Desert of Tiviliche, Tarapacá, who lived in Iquique during his mandate as Governor of Tarapacá in 1825.

Governance

As a commune, Iquique is a third-level

administrative division of Chile The administrative division or territorial organization of Chile exemplifies characteristics of a unitary state. State administration is functionally and geographically decentralized, as appropriate for each authority in accordance with the law ...

administered by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

, headed by an

alcalde ''Alcalde'' (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and Administration (government), administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor (position), corregidor, the presiding officer o ...

who is directly elected every four years. The 2012–2016 alcalde is Jorge Soria. Within the

electoral divisions of Chile This article covers the electoral division of Chile, which involves two distinct systems: # Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies and Senate of Chile, Senate: Chile is divided into electoral districts and senatorial constituencies for ...

, Iquique is represented in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

by Marta Isasi ( Ind.) and Hugo Gutiérrez ( PC) as part of the 2nd electoral district, which includes the entire

. The commune is represented in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

José Miguel Insulza José Miguel Insulza Salinas (born June 2, 1943) is a Chilean politician, lawyer, and academic serving as a senator for the Arica y Parinacota Region since 2018. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1999 and Ministe ...

(PS, 2018–2026) and José Durana (UDI, 2018–2026) as part of the 1st senatorial constituency ( Arica and Parinacota Region and Tarapacá Region). Iquique Mounted Police

Economy

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 of warehouses, banking branches, and restaurants. Copper mining, mainly in Quebrada Blanca, Cerro Colorado, and Doña Inés de Collahuasí, is also an important industry in Iquique.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of National Statistics Institute (''INE''), the commune of Iquique had an area of 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 and a population of 166,204 inhabitants. The population grew by 42.7% (64,742 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Iquique is home to 56% of the total population of the Tarapacá region. In 2008, the city had 226,204 inhabitants. Iquique commune is divided into the following districts: SRTM-W70

There is a significant percentage of residents from different international ethnic groups. The largest communities are Croatian,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, Chinese,

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

ic nationalities,

Peruvian Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...

s and

Bolivian Bolivian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Bolivia ** Bolivian people ** Demographics of Bolivia ** Culture of Bolivia * SS Bolivian, SS ''Bolivian'', later SS ''Alfios'', a British-built standard cargo ship {{disambiguation ...

s, British peoples (i.e. Scots), and the French. In the 1910s and 1920s, about a thousand East Indian (from India and

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

) Chile saltpetre mine workers hired by British mine companies appeared in Iquique and today, their descendants are mixed into the local population. Lately, a wave of

North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

and Australian immigrants came to retire and enjoy the city's beach climate. Immigrants currently make up 9.2% of the total population.http://latercera.com/contenido/680_194898_9.shtml Iquique has almost 10% of its foreign population.

Climate

Iquique has an unusually mild to warm

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: '' 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''. 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 Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the ca ...

Transport

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

Iquique is home to football team Deportes Iquique. It hosted the 2016 FIRS Women's Roller Hockey World Cup.

Notable residents

* Arturo Godoy (1912–1986) professional boxer, born in Iquique * Tomasa del Real (1986) Neoperreo/Reggaeton artist * Tito Ureta (1935–2012) biochemist, born in Iquique * Juan Zanelli (1906–1944) racing driver, born in Iquique

Gallery

File:Paseo Baquedano.JPG, ''Baquedano Boulevard'' File:Plaza Prat Iquique.jpg, Downtown Iquique File:Iquique theater.jpg, Municipal Theater of Iquique File:Teatro Municipal Noche.jpg, Iquique Municipal Theatre at night File:Plaza Prat.jpg, Plaza Prat File:Zofrinight.jpg, Mall Zofri at Night File:21 may Square.jpg, 21-May Square File:Train of Tour in Iquique.jpg, Trans-Atacama Tour Train File:Universidad Arturo Prat.jpg, Arturo Prat University (Main campus from Chile) File:Universidad Arturo Prat (Escuela de Arquitectura).jpg, Arturo Prat University's Architecture-Faculty campus. File:Universidad Santo Tomás.jpg, Santo Tomas University Iquique campus. File:Plaza Slava.jpg, Slava Square . File:Iquique Skatepark.jpg, Iquique Skatepark. File:Feria Artesanal.jpg, Cavancha Beach's Craft Market. File:Cavancha Beach.jpg, Cavancha beach at the end of Cavancha peninsula File:Cavancha sub-aqua wall painting.jpg, The underwater-themed mural situated in Cavancha Peninsula File:Admiralty Chart No 2093 Iquique, Published 1898, New Edition 1934.jpg, 1934 nautical chart of Iquique

References

External links

*
Portal with useful information about Iquique.
* {{Authority control Populated places in Iquique Province Capitals of Chilean regions Capitals of Chilean provinces Communes of Chile Port cities in Chile Populated places established in 1836 1836 establishments in Chile Coasts of Tarapacá Region