Map of Atacama
Atacama is a first-level division of Chile. Its largest mapped city is Copiapó, with about 129,280 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Atacama, and the tables list its 7 mapped cities along with the ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 7
- Largest City
- Copiapó
- Country
- Chile
Interactive Map of Atacama
About Atacama
The Atacama Region (Spanish: Región de Atacama, pronounced [ataˈkama]) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It comprises three provinces: Chañaral, Copiapó and Huasco. It is bordered to the north by Antofagasta, to the south by Coquimbo, to the east by the provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja and San Juan of Argentina, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. The regional capital Copiapó is located 806 km (501 mi) north of the country's capital of Santiago. The region occupies the southern portion of the Atacama Desert, the rest of the desert is mainly distributed among the other regions of Norte Grande. As a generalization south of Copiapó River the region is mostly semi-arid and north of it is a true desert. The inland area in the north also differs from the southern part by hosting active volcanoes part of the Central Volcanic Zone of Andes.
The region has a long tradition of mining that features a silver rush from 1832 to 1850 and a strong development of iron mining from 1952 to 1966. Besides silver and iron the region also hosts valuable reserves of gold, copper and lithium. Agriculture in the region is mainly restricted to the valleys of Copiapó and Huasco where irrigation is aided by the dams of Lautaro and Santa Juana respectively. Crops cultivated include table grapes, olives, alfalfa and pisco grapes.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Atacama Region (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Atacama in Depth
Economy
Mining accounts for 41% of the region's GDP and 90% of its exports. Moreover, various geological surveys have identified new deposits. In Atacama Region medium and small-scale mining has a larger share of mining properties relative to large-scale mining that is dominant in the more northern regions of Tarapacá and Antofagasta. The region's mining activity is centered on copper mining, but it host most of Chile's iron and gold mines. In Atacama Region there are numerous small-scale mines, which sell their output to ENAMI (the national mining company) for processing at its Paipote smelter. The region's main copper deposit is Candelaria, which produces around 200,000 tonnes per year and is controlled by Phelps Dodge, an international corporation.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Atacama Region (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Atacama: Key Facts
| Population | 299,180 (2024) |
|---|---|
| Area | 75,176 km² |
| Capital | Copiapó |
| Head of government | Miguel Vargas Correa |
Facts from Wikidata Q2120 (CC0).
History of Atacama: Empires and States
The atlas records 3 polities whose mapped territory included part of Atacama, 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 | 1540–1819 CE |
| Republic of Chile | 1812–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Atacama
Atacama 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 Atacama
7 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 | Copiapó | 129,280 | Atacama | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Vallenar | 44,895 | Atacama | Populated place |
| 3 | Diego de Almagro | 18,137 | Atacama | Populated place |
| 4 | Chanaral | 13,543 | Atacama | Populated place |
| 5 | Tierra Amarilla | 12,888 | Atacama | Populated place |
| 6 | Caldera | 10,259 | Atacama | Populated place |
| 7 | Huasco | 2,558 | Atacama | Populated place |
Ports in Atacama
2 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 | Puerto Chanaral | 5.5 m | Very Small | Pacific Coast of South America | large vessels |
| 2 | Puerto Calderilla | 5.5 m | Very Small | Pacific Coast of South America | large vessels |
Atacama: Quick Answers
- Where is Atacama?
- Atacama is a first-level division of Chile, in South America. Its mapped cities centre on 27.7641° S, 70.7014° W.
- What is the largest city in Atacama?
- Copiapó is the largest city mapped in Atacama, with a metropolitan population of about 129,280.
- How many cities are in Atacama?
- YearMaps maps 7 cities and towns in Atacama, with a combined metropolitan population of about 231,560. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.