Arica

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For other uses, see Arica (disambiguation).

Arica
City and Commune

Plaza de Coln (Columbus Square)

Flag

Coat of arms

Map of Arica and

Parinacota Region

Arica
Location in Chile

Nickname(s): "City of the eternal spring"

Coordinates (city):

1829S 7020WCoordinates:
1829S 7020W

Country

Chile

Region

Arica y Parinacota

Province

Arica

Founded

1541

Government[1]
Type

Municipality

Alcalde

Salvador Urrutia (PRO)

Area[2]
Total

4,799.4 km2 (1,853.1 sq mi)

Elevation

2 m (7 ft)

Population (2012)[2]
Total

196,590

Density

41/km2 (110/sq mi)

Urban

175,441

Rural

9,827

Sex[2]
Male

91,742

Female

93,526

Time zone

CLT (UTC4)

Summer (DST)

CLST (UTC3)

Postal code

1000000

Area code(s)

country 56 + city 58

Website

Official website (Spanish)

Arica is a commune and a port city with a population of 196,590 in the Arica Province of
northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being 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. Arica is located at the bend of South America's western coast known as the Arica Bend
or Arica Elbow. At the location of the city two lush valleys that dissect the Atacama
Desert converge: Azapa and Lluta. These valleys provides fruit for export.[3]
Arica is an important port for a large inland region of South America. The city serves a free port for Bolivia
and manages substantial part of that country's trade.[3] In addition it is the end station of the Bolivian oil
pipeline beginning in Oruro.[3] The city's strategic position is enhanced by being next to the Pan-American
Highway, being connected to both Tacna in Peru and La Paz in Bolivia by railroad and being served by an
international airport.
Its mild weather have make Arica known as the "city of the eternal spring" in Chile while its beaches are
frequented by Bolivians.[3] The city was an important port already during Spanish colonial rule. Chile seized

the city from Peru in 1883 following the War of the Pacific. A substantial part of African Chileans live in or
trace their origins to Arica.
Contents
[hide]

1 History

1.1 Colonial period

1.2 Peruvian period (18211880)

1.3 Chilenization period (18801929)

1.4 Modern Arica (1929present)

2 Demography

2.1 Notable residents

3 Features

4 Climate

5 Administration

6 Sports

7 Tourist attractions

7.1 Beaches

7.2 Other tourist sites

8 Transport

9 References

10 External links

History[edit]
Archaeological findings indicate that Arica was inhabited by different native groups dating back 10,000
years.

Colonial period[edit]
Spaniards settled the land under captain Lucas Martinez de Begazo in 1541, and in 1570, the area was
grandly retitled as "La Muy Ilustre y Real Ciudad San Marcos de Arica" (the very illustrious and royal city of
San Marcos of Arica). By 1545, Arica was the main export entrepot for Boliviansilver coming down
from Potos, which then possessed the world's largest silver mine. Arica thus held the crucial role as one of
the leading ports of the Spanish Empire. The envious riches made Arica the target for pirates, buccaneers,
and privateers, among whom Francis Drake, Thomas Cavendish, Richard Hawkins, Joris van
Spilbergen, John Watling, Simon de Cordes, Leandro de Valencia, Bartholomew Sharp, William Dampier,
and John Clipperton all took part in looting the city.

Peruvian period (18211880)[edit]

Following the collapse of Spanish rule, in 1821, Arica was part of the recently independent Peruvian
Republic. The Peruvian Constitution of 1823 regards it as a province of the Department of Arequipa.
In 1855, Peru inaugurated the Arica-Tacna railroad (53 km long), one of the first in Latin America. The rail
line still functions today.

The 1868 earthquake devastated the city, leaving it in ruins under the Morro de Arica.

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.[4] Others estimate that the population of Arica was less than 3,000
people and the death toll was around 300. [citation needed] It triggered a tsunami, measurable across
the Pacific in Hawaii, Japan and New Zealand. As Arica lies very close to the subduction zone known as
the PeruChile Trench where the Nazca Plate dives beneath the South American Plate, the city is subject
to megathrust earthquakes.

Chilenization period (18801929)[edit]

See also: Chilenization of Tacna, Arica and Tarapac
Chilean forces occupied the region following the War of the Pacific. The Treaty of Ancn in 1883 formally
acceded to Chilean control. The 1929 Tacna-Arica compromise in the Treaty of Lima subsequently
restored Tacna to Peru but Arica remained part of Chile.

Modern Arica (1929present)[edit]

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. [5] Many car manufacturers opened plants in
Arica, such as Citron, 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.

Demography[edit]

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

According to the 2002 census by 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 people) 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 people
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 km. 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 Arica 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 Villa Frontera and San Miguel de Azapa. Some hamlets are
Poconchile, Molinas, 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.
The commune of Arica is composed of 19 census districts.

Census districts of the Arica commune

District

2002
Population

Area (km2)

Puerto

1.2

2,744

Regiment

0.7

3,880

Chinchorro

13.3

12,816

San Jos

1.2

13,216

Poblacin Chile

17.3

9,086

Azapa

1,937.8

14,991

Jos Manuel Balmaceda

2.7

11,984

Carlos Dittborn

2.1

10,525

Lauca Park

0.4

4,934

10

Jos 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" [6]

Notable residents[edit]

Dante Poli - former footballer

Hiplito Unanue - physician, and briefly president of Peru

Amrico - singer

Chaaral Ortega-Miranda (b. 1973) - classical composer

Features[edit]
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section
by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged
and removed. (March 2012)
See also: Morro de Arica and AricaLa Paz railway

Morro de Arica.

The city view from Morro de 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 Campaa 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.

Climate[edit]
Arica features the rare, mild desert climate. Unlike many other cities with arid climates, Arica seldom sees
extreme temperatures throughout the course of the year. Arica is also known as the driest inhabited place
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.[7] 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
theSahara desert regions in the Northern Hemisphere (like the Cape
Verde islands). Oxfordgeographer 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. According to the Kppen Climate
Classification system, Arica has a mild desert climate, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.[8]

[hide]Climate data for Arica

Month

Record high C (F)

Average high C (F)

Daily mean C (F)

Average low C (F)

Record low C (F)

Precipitation mm (inches)

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

30.7

31.2

30.8

32.4

32.1

26.2

27.0

(87.3)

(88.2)

(87.4)

(90.3)

(89.8)

(79.2)

(80.6)

(9

25.8

26.2

25.6

23.6

21.4

19.4

18.3

(78.4)

(79.2)

(78.1)

(74.5)

(70.5)

(66.9)

(64.9)

(6

22.7

23.0

22.1

20.2

18.3

17.0

16.1

(72.9)

(73.4)

(71.8)

(68.4)

(64.9)

(62.6)

(61)

19.8

19.8

18.9

17.1

15.5

14.8

14.3

(67.6)

(67.6)

(66)

(62.8)

(59.9)

(58.6)

(57.7)

(5

6.0

13.6

10.6

7.8

5.0

5.4

6.4

(42.8)

(56.5)

(51.1)

(46)

(41)

(41.7)

(43.5)

0.3

0.2

0.2

0.1

0.2

0.2

0.1

(0.012)

(0.008)

(0.008)

(0.004)

(0.008)

(0.008)

(0.004)

(4

(0.

Avg. precipitation days

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.1

0.3

0.3

% humidity

72

72

72

74

76

77

77

Mean monthly sunshine hours

195

167

198

219

143

105

93

Source #1: Direccin Meteorolgica de Chile,[9] Danish Meteorological Institute (sun)[10]

Source #2: [1], Washington Post[11]

Administration[edit]
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 Sankn
Martnez (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 Tarapac
Region).

Sports[edit]
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. Arica Plays host to a leg of the
International Bodyboarding Association's world tour event every year at the notorious "el flops" surf break.
The event has been running since 2004.

Tourist attractions[edit]
1.

Morro de Arica: the prominent mount rising above the city,

affording sweeping views.

2.

Catedral de San Marcos de Arica: the magnificent church

designed by Gustave Eiffel was built in the 1870s.

3.

Plaza Coln: the civic heart of the city, the public square is where
its residents congregate for celebrations, diversions or just being a
part of the community.

Other attractions include 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.

Beaches[edit]
More than 20 km of beaches, and across the Coastal Range in the northern sector, which makes them and
different from other cities in Chile in terms of topography.
From north to south the beaches are located Las Machas, Chinchorro, del Alacrn, El Laucho, La
Lisera, Brava, Arenillas Negras, La Capilla, Corazones and La Liserilla.

Other tourist sites[edit]

Chungar Lake

The port of Arica.

Chungar 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 metres. It is located within the Lauca
National Park.

Pucar de Copaquilla: about 3,000 metres above sea level, dates

from the 12th century, declared National Monument, located on a

promontory that serves as the defence 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.

Transport[edit]
In 2011, Chile announced plans to privatise the Port of Arica. These were opposed by Bolivia, as Arica is its
main sea port.[12]
Chacalluta International Airport is the main airport in Arica and is located 18.5 km to north of the city. In this
terminal operates three domestic airlines, LAN Chile, Principal Airlines and Sky Airlines to many Chilean
airports and also to Arequipa, Peru and La Paz, Bolivia.