El Salvador is a
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 ...
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 ...
in the commune of
Diego de Almagro,
Chañaral Province,
Atacama Region,
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 at an elevation of more than 2,400 meters in the foothills of the
Andes
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
and in the middle of the
Atacama Desert, it has a population of approximately 7,000 inhabitants. At its peak, El Salvador once had a population of 34,000 inhabitants.
Development and economy
El Salvador's economy is entirely based on copper mining. The
Atacameños extracted copper from this area for more than a thousand years. Nevertheless, it was
American explorations in the 1950s that revealed the presence of ore that could be exploited in an industrial scale.
Anaconda Copper Mining Company was concerned about declining reserves in its
Potrerillos mine and it sent prospectors in search of a new Chilean ore body in 1951. Working under the auspices Anaconda's Andes Mining subsidiary, the mineralization was discovered in 1954 and mapped in 1955.
As a remote discovery, Anaconda had to build El Salvador as a self-contained and self-sustaining town. It was complete with housing, schools, stores, water and electrical plants and a railway. The mine opened in 1959.
The architect in charge of designing the city was Raymond Olson, who worked at the Anaconda headquarters in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
The town was designed in the shape of a Roman helmet. Legend has it that an executive of Anaconda Mining Company travelled to the proposed town site with his son. The boy had with him his beloved toy; a Roman helmet, which he lost in the desert. Years later once the city was built he was flown over the town and his father said “Remember the toy helmet you lost as a young boy? Look down son, there it is
Key dates for the foundation of El Salvador include:
* 23 April 1959 - on this date, the first load of ore was crushed.
* 2 July 1959 - the first bar of copper arrived in New York.
* 28 November 1959 - El Salvador was officially inaugurated.
In 1971, after
Chilean nationalization of copper, nationalization of copper under the government of
Salvador Allende,
Codelco Chile took over operation of the El Salvador mine.
In 2004, according to official numbers, a total of 74,874 tons metric of fine copper were produced, employing 1,727 people. Nevertheless, since 2001, and in spite of sustained increases in the international price of copper, the mine has experienced losses of more than 3.4 million dollars. In addition, a study by the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n consultant Goldberg, determined that only 243 million tons of copper remain in the mine, which assures mineral for only a few years. On July 29, 2005 Codelco announced the planned closure of the mine beginning in 2008. Beginning in that year oxide production will cease, and later, sulfide production from the underground mine. It was expected that the townsite would be closed in 2011. However, it is still inhabited as of 2020, with an indefinite closure date.
The
Salvador Solar Park is located approximately 5 kilometres south of El Salvador. This 70 MW facility was commissioned in November 2014.
Sports
El Salvador is represented by
Cobresal in the
Chilean Football League. Its stadium, Copper Stadium, was inaugurated in 1980. After expansion to accommodate spectators when Cobresal successfully competed in the
Chilean League's Premier B finals in 1983, it had a total capacity of 20,752 spectators, that is to say, almost three times the population of the town.
Notable people
*
Daniel Aguilera (born 1988), footballer
See also
*
El Salvador mine
References
External links
Photos (2004)
{{Coord, 26, 15, S, 69, 37, W, display=title, region:CL_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki
Communes of Chile
Mining communities in Chile
Populated places in Chañaral Province
Anaconda Copper