![Cruz del tercer milenio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Cruz_del_tercer_milenio.JPG)
Coquimbo is a port
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
,
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
and
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
of the
Elqui Province
Elqui Province ( es, Provincia de Elqui) is a province in the Chilean region of Coquimbo (IV). The provincial capital is the city of Coquimbo.
Geography and demography
According to the 2012 census by the National Statistics Institute (''INE''), ...
, located on the
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...
, in the
Coquimbo Region
The Coquimbo Region ( es, Región de Coquimbo, ) is one of Chile's 16 regions (first order administrative divisions). It is bordered by Atacama to the north, Valparaíso to the south, Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
of
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of
La Serena, with which it forms
Greater La Serena
Greater La Serena is a Chilean conurbation that includes Coquimbo and La Serena communes in the Coquimbo Region. It has a population of 412,845, according to the 2012 census, and thus is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Chile, after San ...
with more than 400,000 inhabitants. The commune spans an area around the harbor of .
The average temperature in the city lies around , and precipitation is low.
History
The area was originally occupied by indigenous people, who used it as a settlement and for fishing purposes. The natural harbour in Coquimbo was taken over by
Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva (; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, whe ...
from
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
in 1550. The
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
and
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
industry in the region led to the city's importance as a port around 1840 and many
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
ans especially from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
settled in Coquimbo. In 1879 it was recognised as a town.
The city was on the main path of totality of the
Solar eclipse of July 2, 2019
A total solar eclipse occurred at the ascending node of the Moon's orbit on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, with an eclipse magnitude of 1.0459. Totality was visible from the southern Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand to the Coquimbo Region in Chile and C ...
.
Demographics
According to the 2002
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of the
National Statistics Institute National Institute of Statistics may refer to:
*National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia
*National Institute of Statistics of Cambodia
*National Institute of Statistics and Census of Costa Rica
*National Institute of Statistics and Census of Nica ...
, Coquimbo had 163,036 inhabitants (79,428 men and 83,608 women). Of these, 154,316 (94.7%) lived in
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
s and 8,720 (5.3%) in
rural area
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
s. The population grew by 32.8% (40,270 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
, Coquimbo is a fourth-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, rural counci ...
, headed by an
alcalde
Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is Cristian Galleguillos Vega.
Within the
electoral divisions of Chile
Chile has two distinct electoral division systems:
* To elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, Chile is divided into several electoral divisions, namely electoral districts and senatorial constituencies.
* To elect members of ...
, Coquimbo 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 Bourbon R ...
by Pedro Velásquez (
Ind.) and Matías Walker (
PDC) as part of the 8th electoral district, (together with
Ovalle
Ovalle is a city in the Coquimbo Region of Chile, founded in 1831 as a settlement. It has a population of more than 113,000 people. The name Ovalle was chosen to honor to Chile's vice-president, José Tomás Ovalle. Ovalle is the capital of the ...
and
Río Hurtado
Río Hurtado is one of five communes in the Limarí Province of Chile's north-central IV Coquimbo Region.
Administration
As a commune, Río Hurtado is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by ...
). 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 ...
by Gonzalo Uriarte (
UDI Udi may refer to:
Places
* Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria
* Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India
People
* Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor
* Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka
...
) and Jorge Pizarro Soto (
PDC) as part of the 4th senatorial constituency (Coquimbo Region).
Economy
The city is an industrial and shipping center. It is growing quickly, registering a 32.8% growth rate from 1992 to 2002. Tourism has started to develop. It is an access point for beach towns to the south, such as
Guanaqueros
Guanaqueros is a Chilean town in the commune of Coquimbo, Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region. It is located in Guanaqueros Bay, 12 kilometers northeast from Tongoy. It is a fishermen's cove, which spreads along the eastern rim of the ''Cerro Guanaque ...
and
Tongoy
Tongoy is a Chilean coastal town in the commune of Coquimbo in Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region. It is located to the south of Chile's second oldest city, La Serena, next to Guanaqueros beach, on a rocky promontory opposite the Pacific Ocean, ...
. The port is still important for shipping, especially
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
and copper from mines in the region.
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
is also produced in the area.
Sports
The city has a football team called
Coquimbo Unido
Coquimbo Unido is a Chilean football club based in the city of Coquimbo. The club was founded August 30, 1958 and will play in the Chilean Primera División on 2022. Their home games are played at the Estadio Municipal Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso ...
which plays in the
Chilean Primera División B
Campeonato Primera B ( en, Chilean First B Division) is the second tier in the Chilean football league system, and is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional. It was established in 1952 as ''Segunda División'', and later rena ...
. Their home games are played at the
Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso Municipal Stadium, which has a capacity of 17,750 seats. They are nicknamed "Los Piratas", because of the tradition of
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s that arrived to the coasts of Coquimbo. Their biggest rival is
Club de Deportes La Serena
Club de Deportes La Serena S.A.D.P., is a Chilean football club based in the city of La Serena, Coquimbo Region. The club was founded 9 December 1955 and plays in the first division of the Chilean football league. Their home games are played ...
.
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Coquimbo is
twinned with:
*
Elbląg
Elbląg (; german: Elbing, Old Prussian: ''Elbings'') is a city in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, located in the eastern edge of the Żuławy region with 117,390 inhabitants, as of December 2021. It is the capital of Elbląg County.
...
, Poland
Gallery
File:Coquimbo.JPG, Aerial view
File:Estadio Francisco Sanchez Rumoroso1.jpg, Estadio Municipal Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso
Estadio Bicentenario Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso is a multi-purpose stadium in Coquimbo, Chile. Currently, it is mostly used for football matches. It is the home stadium of Coquimbo Unido. The former stadium was inaugurated on July 1, 1970 and ho ...
File:Casino coquimbo.JPG, Casino of Coquimbo
File:Coquimbo por la noche.JPG, Coquimbo at night
File:CAM 0202.JPG, Coquimbo at night
File:Mezquita de Coquimbo5.jpg, Mohammed VI Mosque
The Mohammed VI Center for Dialogue of Civilizations ( es, Centro Mohammed VI para el Diálogo de las Civilizaciones) is a mosque in Coquimbo, Chile. The structure is a replica of the Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakesh. It was funded by the Kingdom of ...
File:Plaza de Coquimbo.JPG, Plaza de Coquimbo
See also
* Asteroid
55737 Coquimbo
*
Julio Alberto Mercado Illanes
Julio Alberto Mercado Illanes (1920–1994) was a Chilean accountant, businessman and politician. He was born in Vicuña, in the Elqui Valley area on January 14, 1920, and died in Santiago on April 23, 1994. His remains are interred in Vicuña ...
References
External links
Municipality of CoquimboTravel CoquimboPhoto of CoquimboArriendo a TuristasArriendos en CoquimboOfficial website
{{Authority control
Communes of Chile
Port cities in Chile
1879 establishments in Chile
Capitals of Chilean provinces
Populated places in Elqui Province
Coasts of Coquimbo Region