Atacama Region

This article is about the Atacama Region; for the desert, see Atacama Desert. The Atacama Region Region (Spanish: Región de Atacama) is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. The southern portion of the Atacama Desert is in the region; the rest of the desert is in the other regions to the north (Norte Grande natural region). The capital of the region is the city of Copiapó; it is at 806 km (501 mi) north of Santiago, the capital of country. History From 1843, Atacama was a province of Chile but in 1974, with the creation of the Regions of Chile, it became one of those regions. Geography The Atacama region borders the Tarapacá region to the north, Argentina (provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja and San Juan), on the east, the Coquimbo region on the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west. The highest mountains of the region are: Nevados Ojos del Salado, 6,893 m (22,615 ft) high, and Nevado Tres Cruces, 6,748 m (22,139 ft) high; they are in the Andes, in the border with Argentina. Population As of 2015, there were (estimated) 312,486 persons living in the region, for a population density of 4.2 inhabitants/km². The largest city in the region is its capital, Copiapó, with 125,983 inhabitants (2002 census). Administration The Atacama region is divided in three provinces: Chañaral, Copiapó and Huasco. Related pages Atacama Desert Regions of Chile References Other websites Territorial division of Chile (in Spanish) Gobierno Regional de Atacama Archived 2007-05-19 at the Wayback Machine Official website (in Spanish)