Antofagasta is primarily thought of as an industrial city as it’s the gateway to the Chilean copper mines nearby. Many visitors go there because of their links to the copper market but whilst they are there they often use their hire car to explore the old parts of this colonial city.
It’s known as the Pearl of the North and has a lot of parks surrounded with Spanish style public buildings. A favourite activity for visitors is to watch the fishermen feeding their spoils to the sea lions and pelicans in the harbour.
Antofagasta Mini Guide
Located more than eleven hundred km to the north from the capital
Santiago, Antofagasta is one of the most important cities in Chile.
Built around an old port it has an estimated population of just over 360,000 inhabitants and it is the centre of the Antofagasta province and region. This is an important settlement because it is located in the middle of a desert.
The Atacama Desert is one of the driest deserts in the whole world and there is one spot where it has not rained for decades. Therefore Antofagasta was a useful place for travellers to stop and refresh themselves when they were travelling through Chile.
The name of the city is taken from an old Indian word. The region was part of the Inca Empire but a tribe called the Changos first settled there living off of the sea. They hunted fish and other ocean animals in the nearby Pacific.
Today the beach at Antofagasta is very attractive to tourists, but mostly Chileans who are taking a holiday within their own country. Find out more about the history of the region by driving around and exploring the sights.
The city is easily accessible as it lies on the Pan-American Highway, which is the largest road in South America. Antofagasta is located south of the Mejillones Peninsula and it is bordered on the east by a mountain range. Nearby is the city of Calama and industrial complex of La Negra.
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