War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific (or Saltpeter War) took place from 1879-1883. It grew out of a dispute between Bolivia and Peru against Chile over control of a part of the Pacific coast. The disputed area was part of the Atacama Desert that lies between the 23rd and 26th parallels. The territory contained valuable mineral resources, mainly potassium nitrate, which were exploited by Chilean companies and British interests. The Bolivian government decided to increase taxes to take advantage of the increasing income of the region, which led to a commercial dispute.
The early part of the war was mostly at sea, and the late part mostly on land. Chile won, and Bolivia lost its access to the ocean and became landlocked.
1879
1880
1881
1882
1883
History of Bolivia
History of Chile
19th century in South America
History of Peru
Wars involving South America
19th-century conflicts