Vallenar | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of arms  Vallenar's urban hinterland   Vallenar Location in Chile | |
| Coordinates:28°34′15″S70°45′29″W / 28.57083°S 70.75806°W /-28.57083; -70.75806 | |
| Country |  Chile |
| Region |  Atacama |
| Province | Huasco |
| Founded | 1789 |
| Founded as | San Ambrosio deBallenary |
| Founded by | Ambrose O'Higgins |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Alcalde | Cristian Tapia Ramos |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,083.7 km2 (2,735.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 441 m (1,447 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census)[2] | |
• Total | 52,096 |
| • Density | 7.3543/km2 (19.048/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 48,040 |
| • Rural | 4,290 |
| Demonym | Vallenarino |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 23,284 |
| • Women | 24,765 |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (CLT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−3 (CLST) |
| Area code | 56 + 51 |
| Website | Official website(in Spanish) |
Vallenar is acity andcommune inAtacama Region,Chile. It is the capital of theHuasco Province and is located in the valley of theHuasco River. Vallenar has 52,000 inhabitants. Its main activities are farming and mining. It was founded asSan Ambrosio de Ballenary byAmbrose O'Higgins in 1789, after his birthplace inBallynary inCounty Sligo,Ireland. With its founding Vallenar displaced Santa Rosa, nowFreirina, as the main settlement of the Huasco Valley.[3][4]
In 1922 the city wa devastated bya large earthquake destroying much of its older architecture.[5]
Since the 1950s the city has been a service hub foriron mining in Chile with the city experiencing a significant economic upswing in the 1960s with the opening of the mine ofEl Algarrobo. Other iron mines nearLos Colorados andHuantemé, but the wider Huasco basin hosts also mineral deposits of copper and gold.
The city lies next to the north-southChile Route 5 highway which crosses throughHuasco Bridge the river. The city lies downstreamSanta Juana Dam built in the 1990s, and provides access to the inland commune ofAlto del Carmen.Llanos de Challe National Park is located 60 km (37 mi) northwest of the city of Vallenar.
According to the 2002census by theNational Statistics Institute, Vallenar had 48,040 inhabitants (23,284 men and 24,756 women). Of these, 43,750 (91.1%) lived inurban areas and 4,290 (8.9%) inrural areas. The population grew by 1.7% (792 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2]
As a commune, Vallenar is a third-leveladministrative division of Chile administered by amunicipal council, headed by analcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Cristian Tapia Ramos.[1]
Within theelectoral divisions of Chile, Vallenar is represented in theChamber of Deputies by Mr. Alberto Robles (PRSD) and Mr. Giovanni Calderón (UDI) as part of the 6th electoral district, (together withCaldera,Tierra Amarilla,Freirina,Huasco andAlto del Carmen). The commune is represented in theSenate byIsabel Allende Bussi (PS) andBaldo Prokurica Prokurica (RN) as part of the 3rd senatorial constituency (Atacama Region).
| Climate data for Vallenar | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 25.3 (77.5) | 22.7 (72.9) | 20.6 (69.1) | 18.9 (66.0) | 18.8 (65.8) | 19.8 (67.6) | 21.0 (69.8) | 22.7 (72.9) | 24.1 (75.4) | 25.5 (77.9) | 22.7 (72.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) | 18.6 (65.5) | 17.1 (62.8) | 14.9 (58.8) | 13.1 (55.6) | 11.7 (53.1) | 11.4 (52.5) | 12.2 (54.0) | 13.0 (55.4) | 14.5 (58.1) | 15.6 (60.1) | 17.5 (63.5) | 14.9 (58.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) | 13.1 (55.6) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.1 (50.2) | 8.6 (47.5) | 7.1 (44.8) | 6.8 (44.2) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.9 (46.2) | 9.0 (48.2) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.8 (53.2) | 9.7 (49.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.7 (0.03) | 1.3 (0.05) | 4.1 (0.16) | 3.2 (0.13) | 11.9 (0.47) | 7.1 (0.28) | 2.1 (0.08) | 1.2 (0.05) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 31.6 (1.24) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 337.9 | 299.5 | 285.2 | 240.0 | 213.9 | 195.0 | 210.8 | 235.6 | 249.0 | 288.3 | 303.0 | 325.5 | 3,183.7 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 10.9 | 10.6 | 9.2 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 8.7 |
| Source: Universidad de Chile[6][7] | |||||||||||||
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