The region was sparsely populated by indigenousChangos andAtacameños until massive Chilean immigration in conjunction with asaltpeter boom in the later 19th century. Most of the region was organised asBolivia'sonly coastal territory until Chilean takeover in 1879 at the onset of theWar of the Pacific.
Antofagasta's history is divided, as the territory itself, into two sections: the coastal region, and the highlands plateau oraltiplano around theAndes. In pre-Columbian times, the coastline was populated by nomadic fishing clans ofChangos Indians, of which very little is known due to very limited contact with the Spanishconquerors.
The inland section was populated by theAtacaman culture around the great dry salt lakeSalar de Atacama, theLoa River basin, and valleys and oases across the altiplano, with the most important settlement being the village ofSan Pedro de Atacama.
The Atacaman culture was deeply influenced byTiwanaku culture and later fell underInca rule. The Atacamans harvested mainly corn and beans and developed trade as far as theAmazon basin and Pacific shores. The arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century did not destroy the culture but transformed it deeply through the process ofmestizaje, in which both cultures mixed. Under Spanish rule, Atacaman territory was placed under the administration ofthe Audiencia Real de Charcas, though it is disputed whether the Audiencia Real de Charcas was to administer only the inland portion or the coast as well. At the time of independence generalSimón Bolívar integrated it into the new Republic ofBolivia, under the name of "Litoral Department". This decision was disputed by the Chilean Government and has been a source of conflict until present times. Chile claimed that according to theUti possidetis of the Spanish crown, the coastal region belong to them and their territory bordered directly withPeru.
Chilean explorers such asJuan López andJosé Santos Ossa discovered richnitrate andguano deposits which produced a massive Chilean colonization of the coastline. Friction between the new settlers from both countries grew until 1879 when theWar of the Pacific erupted. Antofagasta was permanently annexed by the Chilean government at the end of the war.
Colonization by Chileans followed mainly fromNorte Chico (the contemporary regions ofAtacama andCoquimbo, also known as the III and IV regions), into the new territories of Antofagasta andTarapacá, known asNorte Grande.
In the early 20th century, the region became a significant base of Chile's union-organizing movements. It continued to depend economically on the nitrate-extraction industry until its replacement by copper mining. Two of the largest and richest open pit mines in the world are located inland from Antofagasta:La Escondida andChuquicamata.
Along theCoastal Cordillera liesAtacama Fault. The area of the Coastal Cordillera around the fault is rich in iron ore constituting the northern part of the so-calledChilean Iron Belt.[5] These ore deposits are often of the manto-type deposits and are chiefly emplaced on rocks ofLa Negra Formation.[6]
The average rainfall in theAntofagasta is just 1 millimetre (0.04 in) per year. From the coast, east to theChilean Coast Range, is the south-central part of theAtacama Desert, the driest desert in the world. Further to the east, it is part of the less aridCentral Andean dry puna ecoregion. The surroundings of abandoned Yungay town have been named the driest place in the world.[7]
Overview of the Port Angamos at evening (Mejillones)
Most of the population lives on the coast inAntofagasta andMejillones, or inCalama in the interior, the hub of the mining industry and the home of a large part of its work force.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, immigrant settlers also arrived from Europe (mainlyCroatians, Italians,Spaniards,Greeks, English, French,German, andPortuguese peoples), from theLevant, and in smaller numbers from China, Japan,Korea,Peru andBolivia. Various immigration flows joined with the culture of the altiplano region creating the modern culture of the north of Chile, which arguably presents more Andean- and multi-European-features than theCentral Valley and mainstream Chilean culture.[8]
Mines in Antofagasta Region that rank among Chile's five most productive copper or gold mines.[9][10]
The Antofagasta Region is the heart of the mining industry, Chile's main source of export revenue. It represents 53% of Chile's mining output, led by copper and followed bypotassium nitrate, gold,iodine, andlithium, which means it could have hadGDP per capita higher thanLuxembourg had it had a large degree of autonomy. The mining industry regularly accounts for more than 90% of the region's exports.[11] In 2024 mining stood for 69% of the region'sGDP.[12]
Fishing and manufacturing also contribute to the income of the area.
The availability of infrastructure and services, due to the region's mining boom, together with its abundance of beautiful natural scenery, have opened vast prospects for the travel industry, both in the interior and on the coast. Interesting tourist attractions include the small town ofSan Pedro de Atacama, once the center of the Atacameño culture, Atacama Salt Flat, the Valley of the Moon, the Quitor Pukará, the Puritama hot springs and the numerous astronomical observatories including theVery Large Telescope andALMA.
^Tornos, Fernando; Hanchar, John M.; Munizaga, Rodrigo; Velasco, Francisco; Galindo, Carmen (2020). "The role of the subducting slab and melt crystallization in the formation of magnetite-(apatite) systems, Coastal Cordillera of Chile".Mineralium Deposita.56 (2):253–278.doi:10.1007/s00126-020-00959-9.S2CID212629723.
