Arica was a historical

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, which existed between 1823 and 1883. It was populated by

pre-Hispanic In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

peoples for a long period of time before Spanish colonisation in the early 16th century saw the transformation of a small town into a thriving port. Trade in both gold and silver was facilitated through Arica after the

precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lustre. ...

s were first extracted from the

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...

silver mines of Bolivia. Following the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...

, the province was transferred to Chile and became an official Chilean territory in 1929.

History

The department was located in

southern Peru The Republic of South Peru ( es, República Sud-Peruana) was one of the three constituent Republics of the short-lived Peru–Bolivian Confederation of 1836–39. South Peru was one of two states—the other being North Peru—that arose from th ...

, near the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. It was limited to the north by the

Tacna Province Tacna is the largest of four provinces in the Department of Tacna in southern Peru located on the border with Chile and Bolivia. Its capital is Tacna. Geography The Tacna Province is bounded to the north by the Jorge Basadre Province and the T ...

, in the south by the Tarapacá Department, on the east by

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Arica was established in 1823, as part of the Department of Arequipa. In 1828, the capital city of the province was changed from Arica to

Tacna Tacna was known for its mining industry; it had significant deposits of sodium nitrate and other resources. Its economic prosperity attracted a wave of immigrants from Italy. Today, their Italian Peruvian descendants live in the city and many of t ...

. In 1837, the province joined the established Department Litoral with capital at Tacna. In 1853, the province was moved to the newly established

Department of Moquegua Moquegua () is a department and region in southern Peru that extends from the coast to the highlands. Its capital is the city of Moquegua, which is among the main Peruvian cities for its high rates of GDP and national education. Geography The ...

, along with the provinces of Moquegua, Tacna and

Tarapacá San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, also known simply as Tarapacá, is a town in the region of the same name in Chile. History The town has likely been inhabited since the 12th century, when it formed part of the Inca trail. When Spanish explorer Diego ...

. In 1855, the province was divided into two, forming the provinces of Tacna and Arica. In 1868, the city of Arica was almost completely destroyed during an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

that also affected the areas north of the city, as well neighboring Bolivia and Chile. In 1875, Arica was transferred to the newly established Department of Tacna, along with the provinces of Tacna and Tarata. In 1875, the province itself was divided into six districts: Arica, Belén,

Codpa Codpa () is a village located to the south of Arica, in the Chilean commune of Camarones in the region of Arica and Parinacota, Chile. It is located above sea level and in a valley of the same name. It is a small village of Hispanic origin ...

, Livilcar, Lluta, and

Socoroma Socoroma is a village in the Arica and Parinacota Region, 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, occupyi ...

. In the 1883

Treaty of Ancón The Treaty of Ancón was a peace treaty signed by Chile and Peru on 20 October 1883, in Ancón District, Ancón, near Lima. It was intended to settle the two nations' remaining territorial differences at the conclusion of their involvement in the ...

Arica and Tacna provinces were transferred to Chilean control for ten years, and then were to have been subject to a plebiscite, one that was never held. ''De facto'', that was the end of the Peruvian province of Arica, although the dispute was not settled until the 1929 Treaty of Lima.Jane, Lionel Cecil (1930) "The question of Tacna-Arica ..." ''Transactions of the Grotius Society'' 15: pp. 93–119

Notable people

Guillermo Billinghurst Guillermo Enrique Billinghurst Angulo (ie. William Henry Billinghurst) (Arica, July 27, 1851 – Iquique, June 28, 1915) was a Peruvian politician of English descent who served as the 37th President of Peru. He succeeded Augusto B. Leguía, fro ...

, President of Peru *

Gerardo Vargas Hurtado Gerardo Vargas Hurtado (1869–1941) was a Peruvian journalist born in Arica. He was also a playwright, historian, founder of the newspaper ''El Ariqueño'' and a journalist of the newspaper ''El Morro de Arica'' published until 1911. Biography ...

, Author and journalist who campaigned for

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a Communes of Chile, 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 ...

and

to return to Peru during the Tacna-Arica dispute.

Notes

References

{{reflist

External links

Providing that the city of Tacna, is the capital of the province of AricaProviding that in the provinces of Tacna and Tarapaca, forming a departamento litoralAgain creating the province of Arica in the department of Moquegua
History of Peru

History

Notable people

See also

Notes

References

External links