Arica

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Arica (disambiguation).
Arica
—  City and Commune  —
Plaza de Colón (Columbus Square)
Plaza de Colón (Columbus Square)
Flag
Flag		 Coat of arms
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): "City of the eternal spring"
Map of Arica and Parinacota Region
Map of Arica and Parinacota Region
Location in Chile
Location in Chile
Arica
Location in Chile
Coordinates (city): 18°29′S 70°20′W / 18.483°S 70.333°W / -18.483; -70.333Coordinates: 18°29′S 70°20′W / 18.483°S 70.333°W / -18.483; -70.333
Country Chile
Region Arica and Parinacota
Province Arica
Government[1]
 • Type Municipality
 • Alcalde Waldo Sankán Martínez (Independent)
Area[2]
 • Total 4,799.4 km2 (1,853.1 sq mi)
Population (2002)[2]
 • Total 185,268
 • Density 39/km2 (100/sq mi)
 • Urban 175,441
 • Rural 9,827
Sex[2]
 • Male 91,742
 • Female 93,526
Time zone CLT (UTC−4)
 • Summer (DST) CLST (UTC−3)
Area code(s) country 56 + city 58
Website Municipality of Arica

Arica is a commune and a port city with a population of 185,269 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica and Parinacota Region, located only 18 km (11 mi) south of the border with Peru. The city is the capital of both the Arica Province and the Arica and Parinacota Region. Known as the "city of the eternal spring", it was originally a part of Peru but it was lost after the Treaty of Ancon as part of the results of the War of the Pacific.

Contents

[edit] History

Archaeological research has indicated the site of Arica was inhabited by different native groups for at least ten thousand years. The city was founded by Spanish captain Lucas Martinez de Begazo in 1541, and in 1570 was entitled as "La Muy Ilustre y Real Ciudad San Marcos de Arica" (the very illustrious and royal city of San Marcos of Arica). This city was, from 1545, the port for exporting the silver of Potosí, Bolivia.

The Potosi silver mine was the largest such mine in world history, making Arica a crucial port for the Spanish Empire. This port was looted by such famous pirates, buccaneers, and privateers as Francis Drake, Thomas Cavendish, Richard Hawkins, Joris van Spilbergen, John Watling, Simon de Cordes, Leandro de Valencia, Bartholomew Sharp, William Dampier, and John Clipperton.

Arica was occupied by Bolivia, once from 1836–1839, then again from 1841-1842 after the Battle of Ingavi.

In 1855, the Peruvian government inaugurated the Arica-Tacna railroad (53 km long), one of the first in Latin America. The rail line still functions.

The 1868 earthquake devastated the city.

The earthquake of August 13, 1868 struck near the city with an estimated magnitude of 8.0 to 9.0, killing an estimated 25,000 to 70,000 people.[3] Others estimate that the population of Arica was less than 3,000 people and the death toll was around 300.[citation needed] It produced a tsunami recorded in Hawaii, Japan and New Zealand. Arica lies very close to the subduction zone known as the Peru-Chile Trench where the Nazca plate dives beneath the South American plate, threatening the city with megathrust earthquakes. In the worst-case scenario, a similar earthquake today of at least 8 or higher would likely kill tens of thousands of people and cause serious damage to parts of the city. Entire streets would be crushed. Thousands of buildings and bridges would topple. Liquefaction would rupture gas mains, water pipes, and vital communication systems. Tsunamis generated by the quake would claim thousands more lives and wash kilometers inland, washing away more buildings and bridges, and launching boats, cars, trucks, chunks of debris, and other objects inland. By the time it ends, the devastation would be incredible. Aftershocks and fires would hamper rescue operations, hundreds of thousands would be killed or injured, and tens of billions of dollars worth of property would be destroyed.

In 1958, the Chilean Government established the "Junta de Adelanto de Arica" (Board of Development for Arica), which promulgated many tax incentives for the establishment of industries, such as vehicle assembly plants, a tax-free zone, and a casino, among others.[4] Many car manufacturers opened plants in Arica, such as Citroen, Peugeot, Volvo, Ford and General Motors, which produced the Chevrolet LUV pickup until 2008.

In 1975, together with Chile's new open economy policies, the "Junta de Adelanto de Arica" was derogated.

The Arica and Parinacota Region was created on October 8, 2007 under Law 20.175, promulgated on March 23, 2007 by President Michelle Bachelet in the city of Arica.

[edit] Demography

The morro de Arica is one of the major attractions in the city

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Arica spans an area of 4,799.4 km2 (1,853 sq mi) and has 185,268 inhabitants (91,742 men and 93,526 women). Of these, 175,441 (94.7%) lived in urban areas and 9,827 (5.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 8.8% (14,964 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Arica is home to 97.7% of the total population of the region.[2]

The population is a mixture between older-residing local Indians such as the Aymara with African slaves or Chinese who first arrived as miners and rail workers in the 1890s, and Europeans including the Spanish, Italians, Greeks, British and French or their descendants who arrived at different times of local history. Some Ariqueanos have an affinity with the cultures of Peru and distantly, Bolivia.

The urban area of Arica has 175,441 inhabitants in an area of 41.89 km². Arica in 2007 had more than 185,000 inhabitants (not counting the inhabitants of the valleys and Lluta Azapa, with that reach almost to the 194.000 inhabitants). The growing city of AricaSegún spreads outward into the desert and the Peru-Chile border. The Azapa Valley has developed a year-round agricultural economy due to improvements in irrigation and transportation of its products.

The villages that make up the commune are San Miguel Villa Frontera Azapa. Some villages are Poconchile inserts, Mills, Sora, Las Maitas and Caleta Vitor.

Arica was made famous in 1970 by the spiritual master Oscar Ichazo when he held a 10 month training there for 50 Americans from the Esalen Institute in California. The Arica School, based in America, has influenced thousands of people all over the world. Information is available at Arica.org.

The commune of Arica is composed of 19 census districts.

Census districts of the Arica commune
# District Area (km2) 2002
Population
1 Puerto 1.2 2,744
2 Regiment 0.7 3,880
3 Chinchorro 13.3 12,816
4 San José 1.2 13,216
5 Población Chile 17.3 9,086
6 Azapa 1,937.8 14,991
7 José Manuel Balmaceda 2.7 11,984
8 Carlos Dittborn 2.1 10,525
9 Lauca Park 0.4 4,934
10 José Miguel Carrera 0.6 5,836
11 Condell 0.5 6,358
12 Strong Citadel 215.9 28,209
13 Chaca 794.0 223
14 El Morro 0.9 3,286
15 Chacalluta 419.3 1,684
16 Molinos 1,376.0 649
17 Pedro Blanqui 7.3 25,131
18 Cancharayada 5.3 17,530
19 Las Torres 2.9 11,878
- stragglers 308
Total 4,799.4 185,268

Source: INE 2007 report, "Territorial division of Chile"[5]

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Features

See also: Morro de Arica and Arica-La Paz railway
Morro de Arica.
Panorama of Arica.
Arica's Customs Office (Aduana de Arica), built by the Peruvian Government after the 1868 earthquake

The Morro de Arica is a steep and tall hill located in the city. Its height is 139 meters above sea level. It was the last bulwark of defence for the Peruvian troops who garrisoned the city. It was assaulted and captured on June 7, 1880 by Chilean troops in the last part of their Campaña del Desierto (Desert Campaign) during the War of the Pacific.

Near the city is the Azapa Valley, an oasis where vegetables and Azapa olives are grown. Economically, it is an important port for Chilean ore, and its tropical latitude, dry climate, and the city's beach, have made Arica a popular tourist destination. It is also a center of rail communication with Bolivia and has its own international airport. Arica has strong ties with the city of Tacna, Peru; many people cross the border daily to travel between the cities, partly because many services (for example, dentists) are cheaper on the Peruvian side. Arica is connected to Tacna in Peru and to La Paz in Bolivia by separate railroad lines.

[edit] Climate

Arica features the rare, mild desert climate. Unlike many other cities with an arid climate, Arica seldom sees extreme temperatures throughout the course of the year. Arica is also known as one of the driest inhabited places on Earth, at least as measured by rainfall: average annual precipitation is 0.76 mm (0.03 inches), as measured at the airport meteorological station.[6] Despite its lack of rainfall, humidity and cloud cover are high. With humidity levels similar to those of equatorial climates the sunshine intensity is similar to the Sahara desert regions in the Northern Hemisphere (like the Cape Verde islands). Oxford geographer Nick Middleton's book on people who live in extreme climates, Going to Extremes (ISBN 0-330-49384-1), discusses his visit to this city.

Climate data for Arica
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 33
(91)		 33
(91)		 35
(95)		 30
(86)		 29
(84)		 28
(82)		 29
(84)		 28
(82)		 29
(84)		 24
(76)		 30
(86)		 32
(90)		 35
(95)
Average high °C (°F) 26
(79)		 27
(80)		 26
(78)		 24
(75)		 22
(71)		 19
(67)		 18
(65)		 18
(65)		 19
(66)		 21
(69)		 22
(72)		 24
(76)		 22
(72)
Average low °C (°F) 20
(68)		 20
(68)		 19
(66)		 17
(63)		 16
(60)		 14
(58)		 14
(57)		 14
(58)		 15
(59)		 16
(60)		 17
(62)		 18
(65)		 16
(61)
Record low °C (°F) 11
(52)		 15
(59)		 12
(54)		 11
(52)		 9
(49)		 6
(43)		 6
(43)		 6
(43)		 9
(48)		 8
(46)		 10
(50)		 9
(48)		 6
(43)
Precipitation mm (inches) 0.3
(0.01)		 0.3
(0.01)		 0.1
(0.005)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.1
(0.005)		 0.8
(0.03)
% humidity 72.0 71.5 72.0 74.0 75.5 76.5 76.5 76.5 76.0 74.5 73.0 72.5 74.5
Source no. 1: Washington Post[7]
Source no. 2: [1]

[edit] Administration

As a commune, Arica is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Waldo Sankán Martínez (Independent).[1]

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Arica is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Mr. Nino Baltolu (UDI) and Mr. Orlando Vargas (PPD) as part of the 1st electoral district, which includes the entire Arica and Parinacota Region. The commune is represented in the Senate by Fulvio Rossi Ciocca (PS) and Jaime Orpis Bouchon (UDI) as part of the 1st senatorial constituency (Arica and Parinacota Region and Tarapacá Region).

[edit] Sports

Arica was one of the four host cities of the 1962 FIFA World Cup, and it was the venue for a Rip Curl Pro Search surfing event that took place from June 20 to July 1 in 2007.

[edit] Tourist attractions

Morro de Arica. Catedral de San Marcos de Arica. Plaza Colón in downtown Arica. Americo.

Among the attractions are the Arica Morro de Arica, the "founding square" (for the civic center of town), the Cathedral of San Marcos de Arica, the former house of the Governor, the House of Culture, railway station Arica-La Paz, the Archaeological and Anthropological Museum of San Miguel de Azapa, Sea and Historical Arms and Arica. For evening entertainment there is the "Casino de Arica".

[edit] Beaches

Panoramic view of the harbor and pier in the service of Peru in Arica

More than 20 km of beaches, and across the Coastal Range in the northern sector, which makes particular and different to other cities in Chile in terms of topography.

From north to south the beaches are located Las Machas, Chinchorro, del Alacrán, El Laucho, La Lisera, Brava, Arenillas Negras, La Capilla, Corazones and La Liserilla.

[edit] Other tourist sites

Chungará Lake
  • Chungará Lake: Arica is the main access road to the lake, the 29th highest in the world (and the 10th highest in South America)[2], with an approximate height of 4517 meters. It is located within the Lauca National Park.
  • Pucará de Copaquilla: about 3,000 meters above sea level, dates from the 12th century, declared National Monument, located on a promontory that serves as the defense has a double stone wall, which protects a series of internal spaces. From this point it is possible to observe the pre-and streams.
  • Termas de Jurasi a few miles southeast of Putre, by Ruta 11-CH, turning off a dirt road. Underground waters are home to temperatures above 40 °C (104 °F) which are reputed to have medicinal properties.
  • Surf Arica is a world-famous spot for surfing. The wave known as "El Gringo" hosts surfing and bodyboarding world championships every year. In 2007, Arica was the site for an ASP world tour contest. Others stops on this tour include Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji and South Africa.

[edit] Transport

In 2011, Chile wants to privatise the Port of Arica, which, being the main sea outlet of Bolivia is not wanted by that country. [8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b (Spanish) "Municipality of Arica". http://www.municipalidaddearica.cl/. Retrieved 7 September 2010. 
  2. ^ a b c d (Spanish) Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas
  3. ^ The 1868 Arica Tsunami
  4. ^ http://www.leychile.cl/Navegar?idNorma=27344
  5. ^ "Territorial division of Chile" (PDF). http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/territorio/division_politico_administrativa/pdf/DPA_COMPLETA.pdf. Retrieved 11 September 2010. 
  6. ^ "Weather recorders". Met Office. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20070927030844/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/primary/students/weather_recorders.html. Retrieved 2007-08-24. 
  7. ^ www.washingtonpost.com
  8. ^ http://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11329691-s45.htm

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arica
Chilean cities with a population of over 150,000 (2002)
Communes and municipalities in Arica and Parinacota Region >
Arica Province
Arica · Camarones
Mapa loc Arica y Parinacota.svg
Parinacota Province
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arica&oldid=477562740"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages