Introduction Arica-Parinacota Region Tarapacá Region Antofagasta Region Atacama Region Coquimbo Region Valparaíso Region O´Higgins Region Maule Region Bío Bío Region La Araucanía Region Los Ríos Region Los Lagos Region Aysén Region Magallanes & the Chilean Antartic Region Metropolitan Region

Capital: Arica

Area: 16,898.6 km2

Population: 189,644 inhabitants (2002 Census)

Population density: 11.22 inhab/km2

Principal economic activities: Tourism, fishing and manufacturing.

 

The Arica & Parinacota Region was created under Law 20.175, which was signed by President Michelle Bachelet in Arica on March 23, 2007, and came into full operation on October 8, 2007. 

The region's location on Chile's border with Peru to the north and Bolivia to the east has contributed to the development of trade and tourism. In the case of the latter activity, the region has the advantage of important attractions and a pleasant year-round climate.

Arica & Parinacota is a region of unparalleled beauty combining arid desert with green valleys, beautiful beaches and the imposing Andes Mountains. It includes Lake Chungará which, at 4,517 meters above sea level, is one of the highest in the world.

The region also has a unique and invaluable archaeological heritage. The Chinchorro culture, which left mummies now over 10,000 years old, is the common link between the region's history and that of Peru and Bolivia.

The main city, Arica, is one of Chile's northernmost points and has air, rail and bus services and excellent highways connecting it with the rest of Chile as well as neighboring countries. Warm- water beaches, archaeological tours and geoglyphs are among the best-known features of the region which, because of its almost year-round sunshine, is also famous for its 'eternal spring'. One of the key features of Arica itself is El Morro, a 110-meter-high rock outcrop that falls vertically to the west.

Arica & Parinacota is the meeting point of the countries of the Andean Macroregion, giving it strategic importance as regards supplying the logistics needs of the Asia-Pacific region as well as many other markets that require port, transport and warehousing services. 

In order to meet these needs, both the region's provinces have top-class road infrastructure, an airport that was recently upgraded under a concession contract that represented an investment of over US$11.5 million and a port terminal that, in recent months, has seen exponential growth in freight traffic.

 

Area

The Arica & Parinacota Region has an area of 16,898.6 km2.  

 

Land formation

The region is formed by the Andes Mountains, which are large, high and volcanic and are bordered on the east by the Chilean altiplano (plateau). The narrow coastal plains, with a maximum width of 2 kms, are the site of the city of Arica. 

 

Climate

A desert climate predominates. It is divided into a coastal desert climate characterized by its cloudiness and only small variations in temperature within the day, a typical desert climate with very dry air and large variations in temperature within the same day, and a marginal desert climate found at over 3,000 meters above sea level with lower temperatures and rainfall in summer (the so- called Bolivian winter).  

 

Water resources

The prevailing climatic and soil conditions mean that water supply is scarce. The region has two large rivers: the Lauca, which rises in the Parinacota wetlands and drains into the Coipasa salt flat in Bolivia, and the Lluta, which drains into the Pacific Ocean. The Intermediate Depression is crossed by ravines such as Azapa, Lluta, Camarones and Vítor and contains the Cotacotani Lake and the Chungará Lake, one of the highest in the world.  

 

Population

According to the 2002 Census, the region had a population of 189,644 inhabitants and a population density of 11.22 inhabitants/km2.

 

Economic sectors

A reduction in fish stocks, due to the El Niño climatic phenomenon, has had a negative impact on the region's fishing industry. However, the tourism sector has shown steady consolidation, helped by public-private collaboration. 

 

Administrative divisions

REGIONAL CAPITAL	PROVINCES	MUNICIPALITIES
Arica	Arica	Arica Camarones Parinacota
	Putre	General Lagos

Foreign Direct Investment DL 600 Statistics in the Arica-Parinacota Region (1974 - 2008), (Excel, 36 Kb.)