Map of Antofagasta
Antofagasta is a first-level division of Chile. Its largest mapped city is Antofagasta, with about 309,832 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Antofagasta, and the tables list its 8 mapped cities along with the mountains, ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 8
- Largest City
- Antofagasta
- Country
- Chile
- Highest Point Mapped
- 6,176 m
Interactive Map of Antofagasta
About Antofagasta
The Antofagasta Region (Spanish: Región de Antofagasta, pronounced [antofaˈɣasta]) is one of Chile's sixteen first-order administrative divisions. Being the second-largest region of Chile in area, it comprises three provinces, Antofagasta, El Loa and Tocopilla. It is bordered to the north by Tarapacá, by Atacama to the south, and to the east by Bolivia and Argentina. The region's capital is the port city of Antofagasta; another one of its important cities is Calama. The region's main economic activity is copper mining in its giant inland porphyry copper systems.
Antofagasta's climate is extremely arid, albeit somewhat milder near the coast. Nearly all of the region is devoid of vegetation, except close to the Loa River and at oases such as San Pedro de Atacama. Much of the inland is covered by salt flats, tephra and lava flows, and the coast exhibits prominent cliffs.
The region was sparsely populated by indigenous Changos and Atacameños until massive Chilean immigration in conjunction with a saltpeter boom in the later 19th century. Most of the region was Bolivia's only coastal territory until being annexed by Chile in 1879, at the onset of the War of the Pacific.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Antofagasta Region (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Antofagasta in Depth
History
Antofagasta's history is divided, as the territory itself, into two sections: the coastal region, and the highlands plateau or altiplano around the Andes. In pre-Columbian times, the coastline was populated by nomadic fishing clans of Changos Indians, of which very little is known due to very limited contact with the Spanish conquerors.
The inland section was populated by the Atacaman culture around the great dry salt lake Salar de Atacama, the Loa River basin, and valleys and oases across the altiplano, with the most important settlement being the village of San Pedro de Atacama.
The Atacaman culture was deeply influenced by Tiwanaku culture and later fell under Inca rule. The Atacamans harvested mainly corn and beans and developed trade as far as the Amazon basin and Pacific shores.
Geography
Along the Coastal Cordillera lies Atacama Fault. The area of the Coastal Cordillera around the fault is rich in iron ore constituting the northern part of the so-called Chilean Iron Belt. These ore deposits are often of the manto-type deposits and are chiefly emplaced on rocks of La Negra Formation.
The average rainfall in the Antofagasta is just 1 millimetre (0.04 in) per year. From the coast, east to the Chilean Coast Range, is the south-central part of the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world. Further to the east, it is part of the less arid Central Andean dry puna ecoregion. The surroundings of abandoned Yungay town have been named the driest place in the world.
Economy
The Antofagasta Region is the heart of the mining industry, Chile's main source of export revenue. It represents 53% of Chile's mining output, led by copper and followed by potassium nitrate, gold, iodine, and lithium, which means it could have had GDP per capita higher than Luxembourg had it had a large degree of autonomy. The mining industry regularly accounts for more than 90% of the region's exports. In 2024 mining stood for 69% of the region's GDP.
The availability of infrastructure and services, due to the region's mining boom, together with its abundance of beautiful natural scenery, have opened vast prospects for the travel industry, both in the interior and on the coast.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Antofagasta Region (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Antofagasta: Key Facts
| Population | 635,416 (2024) |
|---|---|
| Area | 126,049 km² |
| Capital | Antofagasta |
| Head of government | Ricardo Díaz Cortés |
Facts from Wikidata Q2118 (CC0).
History of Antofagasta: Empires and States
The atlas records 5 polities whose mapped territory included part of Antofagasta, from The Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) in 1497 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| The Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) | 1497–1539 CE |
| The Spanish Empire | 1540–1823 CE |
| Gran Colombia | 1824–1829 CE |
| Bolivia | 1825–1904 CE |
| Republic of Chile | 1905–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Antofagasta
Antofagasta on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Antofagasta
8 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antofagasta | 309,832 | Antofagasta | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Calama | 143,084 | Antofagasta | Populated place |
| 3 | Tocopilla | 24,460 | Antofagasta | Populated place |
| 4 | Chuquicamata | 11,941 | Antofagasta | Populated place |
| 5 | Taltal | 10,018 | Antofagasta | Populated place |
| 6 | María Elena | 2,370 | Antofagasta | Populated place |
| 7 | Mejillones | 2,041 | Antofagasta | Populated place |
| 8 | Toconao | 378 | Antofagasta | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Antofagasta
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aucanquilcha | 6,176 m | 20,262 ft | South America |
Ports in Antofagasta
4 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antofagasta | 38.4 m | Minor | Pacific Coast of South America | large vessels |
| 2 | Taltal | 12.8 m | Very Small | Pacific Coast of South America | large vessels |
| 3 | Mejillones | 12.8 m | Small | Pacific Coast of South America | large vessels |
| 4 | Tocopilla | 5.5 m | Small | Pacific Coast of South America | large vessels |
Antofagasta: Quick Answers
- Where is Antofagasta?
- Antofagasta is a first-level division of Chile, in South America. Its mapped cities centre on 23.0679° S, 69.6308° W.
- What is the largest city in Antofagasta?
- Antofagasta is the largest city mapped in Antofagasta, with a metropolitan population of about 309,832.
- How many cities are in Antofagasta?
- YearMaps maps 8 cities and towns in Antofagasta, with a combined metropolitan population of about 504,124. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Antofagasta?
- The highest summit mapped in Antofagasta is Aucanquilcha at 6,176 m.