Copiapó () is a
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 ...
, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of
Caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of
Copiapó Province and
Atacama Region.
Copiapó lies about 800 km north of
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
by the
Copiapó River, in the valley of the same name. In the early 21st century, the river has dried up in response to climate change and more severe droughts. The town is surrounded by 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 ...
and receives 12 mm (½ in) of rain per year. The population of Copiapó was 9,128 in 1903; and 11,617 in 1907. As of 2012, there are 158,438 inhabitants.
Copiapó is in a rich silver and
copper mining
Copper extraction is the multi-stage process of obtaining copper from list of copper ores, its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with coun ...
district, and while it attends large-scale mining operations further afar it is the central town of surrounding
medium-scale mining mining district.
A bronze statue commemorates
Juan Godoy, discoverer of the
Chañarcillo silver mines in the 19th century. The Copiapó-Caldera
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
line, built in 1850, was the first one in South America. The first section between
Caldera
A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
and Monte Amargo was inaugurated on July 4, 1850 in honor of the
Independence Day
An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
, as American businessman
William Wheelwright was responsible for the project. The original wooden
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
is now a National Monument.
History
Spanish explorers founded the settlement in 1742
and named it ''San Francisco de la Selva de Copiapó'' or Saint Francis of the Jungle of Copiapó, due to its lush vegetation. Prior to
Spanish occupation, the area was inhabited by the
Diaguita people under the rule of the
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
into the 16th century. Remains of Diaguita fortresses have been found in this area. The earliest archaeological remains of human activity in the
Copiapó Valley are thought to be around 10,000 years old. The settlement developed around the remains of an
Inca
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
cemetery.
After the discovery of the rich silver deposits near
Chañarcillo by
Juan Godoy in 1832 it became an important mining centre,
and until Chile annexed
Antofagasta
Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669.
Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...
from Bolivia and
Iquique
Iquique () is a port List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the At ...
and
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 ...
from Peru following 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), Copiapó was the nation's northernmost city and main mining city.
An earthquake on 4 December 1918 caused extensive damage throughout the city.
Through the 20th century, the city of Copiapó grew markedly, both from the mining industry and its role as capital of its department.
On 5 August 2010,
the San José Copper Mine collapsed, trapping 33 miners underground. The mine was about north of the city. The miners were deep and from the mine's entrance via spiraling underground ramps.
[
] Private, local, national and international resources cooperated in their rescue. The miners survived underground for 69 days until all were brought to the surface on 13 October 2010, a record period of time. This mine has been closed, but the industry of copper and gold mining is very important in the region.
Demographics
According to the 2002
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of the
National Statistics Institute, Copiapó had 129,091 inhabitants (64,922 men and 64,169 women). Of these, 125,983 (97.6%) lived in
urban area
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
s and 3,108 (2.4%) 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 are typically desc ...
s. The population grew by 27.9% (28,184 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
According to the same census, the religious affiliation in Copiapó, is the following:
* 75.97% Roman Catholic
* 10.74% Protestant
* 1.29% The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* 1.25% Jehovah's Witnesses
* 0.04% Judaism
* 0.03% Islam
* 0.02% Greek Orthodox
* 3.56% Other
* 7.10% None, atheism or agnosticism.
Climate
Copiapó has a
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 mild temperatures year round. Winters are mild with cool temperatures during the day, with a July maximum of and cool to cold temperatures during the night, averaging . The cold
Humboldt Current offshore leads to cool summer temperatures for being inland on its low latitude, and contributes to the very low annual rainfall. Temperatures rarely fall below freezing. Most of the precipitation falls during this time of the year with June and July being the wettest months.
While winters are normally dry, precipitation is highly variable. This was the case when June 1998 recorded of precipitation but generally, in most years, precipitation is rare.
Summers are warm with a January average of and precipitation is virtually non-existent.
Temperatures can occasionally exceed any time of the year. The average annual precipitation is , though this is highly variable, with some years recording no precipitation, as occurred in 1970, 1978, 1990, 1992-1993, and in 1998..
There are 3.2 days with measurable precipitation. The record high was in August 1972 and the record low was in June 1975.
Economy
Copiapó has a diversified and potential economy, but
mining
Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
is the largest economic activity. The Copiapó Basin has a great deal of copper ore, mined by companies such as
Minera Candelaria, which extracts copper near
Tierra Amarilla, a neighboring commune. This generates a need for transportation, light industry, and services. "Small mining" represents over 30% of the production. The copper obtained by ''
pirquineros'' (miners) goes to the
copper smelter at Paipote.
Agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
is the second-largest source of income in this area. It consists largely of grape production, with olives, tomatoes, avocados and some citrus fruits also produced as commodity crops.
Industry: Copiapó has mainly light industry, and some medium industry such as the INACESA plant and Paipote copper refinery.
Energy
Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...
: Many important solar plants were built in the Atacama Region, benefiting from the high amount of and constant solar radiation during the year. Solar photovoltaic energy production in 2016 reached more than 400 MW connected to the Central-North grid.
Commerce
Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...
is growing in Copiapó, largely old and new, small and medium enterprises. Downtown Copiapó activity reflects the growth of the city. Some local enterprises have grown rapidly in the last decade, such as the Albasini and Don Álvaro chain-stores. The national government's free-market policies, along with a higher demand and better economic expectations, have encouraged the establishment here of such national businesses as the supermarkets Deca (1999), Jumbo (2005), and Lider (2006).
Tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
in Copiapó has been developing since the early 21st century. Some come to see the desert and indigenous monuments, such as the
Inca
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
cemetery in the city, which was investigated in the 1930s. In addition, a new casino has attracted both domestic and foreign tourists, and hotels have invested in new amenities and structures to satisfy demand.
Attractions
*''Copiapó'' steam locomotive, year 1850. University of Atacama,
*Mineralogic Museum,
*Plaza de Armas,
*Regional Museum of the Matta Family,
*Wooden Railway Station,
*
the San José Copper Mine (closed in 2010);
*Totoralillo, Totoral and the zone of "Travesía" on the coast, wherein after rain, the ''"Desierto Florido"'' appears;
*In the Andes, the Ojos del Salado volcano, and the lakes Green and Negro Francisco,
*Tres Cruces National Park in the Andes.
Administration
Municipal government

As a commune, Copiapó 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 Maglio Cicardini (Independent). The council has the following members:
* Magaly Milla Montaño (Independent)
* Luis Orrego Salinas (Independent)
* Rosa Ahumada Campusano (
PC)
* José Bernardino Fernández Quevedo (
PPD)
* Omar Luz Hidalgo (
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
)
* Anelice Véliz Kratzschmar (
PS)
* Mario Enrique Bordoli Vergara (
RN)
* Juan Carlos Mellibovsky Leiva (RN)
Recent municipal politics
Since the
return to democracy in 1990, there have been six mayoral elections held in Copiapó.
In 1992,
Mónica Calcutta (PPD) won the election against 24 candidates. Her term was characterized by public expenditures on green areas, parks, and street paving, and public infrastructure such as the new building of the City Hall (1994), the Estadio Techado (1996), and the Technological School (inaugurated in 1997). During her term, Calcutta encouraged people to participate. One of these activities was the "Train of History" carried out in 1994 (for the 250th anniversary of Copiapó) and 1995.
Despite all these expenditures, the City Hall ended up with no debt for 1996.
In 1996, Calcutta ran for the re-election, but was defeated by the socialist candidate
Marcos López (city councilor 1992–1996) by a narrow margin of 146 votes. López's term differed substantially from Calcutta's; his first three years as mayor did not see any important public expenditures in visible things. They came out the year before the following election.
The 2000 election was a very confrontational one. López and Calcutta ran for election together with 10 other candidates. In spite of surveys that showed a virtual tie between them, López won the election with an overwhelming 50.07% of the votes to his rival's 31.52%.
López's second term in office was characterized by high public expenditures, part of it from the Central Government to improve Chilean infrastructure toward the bicentennial of Independence. These expenditures went towards redesigning the Central Square, Matta Avenue and the City Chamber.
In 2004, Marcos López was elected to another term, defeating the rightist candidate René Aedo (RN) with 50.01% to 40.82% of the votes.
In 2008, López ran for a fourth term, but was defeated by the independent candidate
Maglio Cicardini Neyra, by a margin of less than 1% of the votes.
In 2012, López ran once again, but lost against Cicardini, who won the election with more than 50% of the votes.
In 2016, Cicardini lost against Marcos López.
Congressional representation
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 ...
, Copiapó 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 Lautaro Carmona (
PC) and
Daniella Cicardini Milla (Independent, backed up by the
PS) as part of the 5th electoral district, (together with
Chañaral and
Diego de Almagro). 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
Isabel Allende Bussi (
PS) and
Baldo Prokurica Prokurica (
RN) as part of the 3rd senatorial constituency (Atacama Region).
Education
Copiapó provides public and private education, from kindergarten to high school, and also technical and bachelor's degrees.
Schools
According to the Department of Education of Chile, Copiapó had (2007) an enrollment of more than 35.000 students, divided in the following programs: Kindergarten, 3.780 students; Differencial Education, 1.009 students; Elementary and Middle School, 20.794 students; High School, 10.291 students (5.185 in Scientific-Humanist programs and 5.106 in Technical-Professional programs).
La commune of Copiapó offers public and private education held by 64 schools, divided in: 61 urbans and 3 rurals; 32 public, 23 State-subsidized private schools and 9 private schools.
Universities
*
Universidad de Atacama was founded in 1857, and is the only public university in the Third Region.
* Universidad Santo Tomás (Copiapó)
* Universidad Tecnológica de Chile, INACAP (Copiapó)
Professional institutes
* Instituto Tecnológico UDA (public)
* Santo Tomás (private)
* Inacap (private)
* Iplacex (private)
Technical centers of study
* CFT Benjamín Teplizky (private)
* CFT Santo Tomás (private)
* CFT Inacap (private)
* CFT Cepa (private)
Sports and recreation
Football

This city has a football team called
Club de Deportes Copiapó, which was born after the dissolution of
Regional Atacama, in 1999. It plays in the Primera A League of football of Chile, and plays as local in the
Luis Valenzuela Hermosilla Stadium and in the Municipal Stadium of Tierra Amarilla.
Raid Atacama
This is the event that gathers the most 4x4 automobiles in the world, and it began in 1992.
The effort and spirit of Raid Atacama has made it worthy of the National Award for Tourism. For over 21 years, the Atacama Raid has been the cornerstone of the development of off-road activities along
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 ...
, and its example has been followed by many clubs and even several companies.
In the last seven years, the enrollment has kept steady on an average of about 500 vehicles per event, and more than 1,800 participants from all regions of the country and abroad.
In 1997, it reached the largest number of participants to date, bringing together 613 4x4 vehicles. With no other event as large, this made it possible to apply for registration as a world record. Another of the achievements is to hold, without competition, the record for international off-road event (amateur) with greater permanence in time.
Rally Dakar
In the last years, Copiapó has been not only one of the Chilean communes the Rally Dakar Chile-Argentina has passed through, but also the place of birth of
Jaime Prohens, considered by some as one of the most important participants of this rally.
Transportation
Copiapo is served by
Desierto de Atacama Airport, with commercial passenger airline service on three of Chile's major airlines.
As mentioned above, there is also an important railway in the city.
Sister cities
*
Catamarca,
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
*
Córdoba, Argentina
*
Felipe Varela, Argentina
*
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...
, Argentina
*
Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a sur ...
, Argentina
*
Jiujiang
Jiujiang, formerly transliterated Kiukiang and Kew-Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
*
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi, China. Located in the north-central part of the province and in the hinterland of Poyang Lake Plain, it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake. Because of its strate ...
, China
*
Panyu, China
*
Pingxiang, China
*
Ruichang, China
*
Castellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana (in ), or simply Castellón (), is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is located in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Costa del Azahar by the Mediterranean Sea. Th ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
References
External links
*
Municipality of Copiapó
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copiapo
Communes of Chile
Atacama Desert
Capitals of Chilean regions
Capitals of Chilean provinces
Populated places in Copiapó Province
Populated places in Atacama Region
Populated places established in 1744
1744 establishments in the Spanish Empire