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: La Serena

Area: 40,579.9 km2

Population: 603,210 inhabitants (2002 Census)

Population density: 14.8 inhab/km2

Principal economic activities: Mining, agriculture, fishing and tourism.

 

The Coquimbo Region marks the beginning of the transition from the arid desert to the fertile plains of Chile's central valley and combines elements of both climatic zones. Its port, road and airport infrastructure has recently been modernized.

The regional capital, La Serena, was founded in 1544 by Spanish Conquistador Juan Bohón and its colonial architecture has been carefully preserved. The city is considered the region's economic, political, financial, administrative and tourist heart.

The nearby port of Coquimbo does justice to the indigenous origin of its name “place of tranquil waters”. It operates 365 days a year and is the main port for the region's exports as well as a stopping-off point for cruise ships. Its activities are complemented by those of the Guayacán terminal which mainly serves the mining industry.

New business opportunities are expected to be created by improvements in the road to the Agua Negra Pass into Argentina's San Juan province. This forms part of the proposed bioceanic corridor that would link Coquimbo to Porto Alegre in Brazil.

Like the Antofagasta Region, this area offers excellent conditions for astronomy. With its clear skies, a low level of light pollution and over 300 cloudless nights a year, it is home to three important observatories: the Cerro Totolo and Las Campanas observatories installed by the United States and the European La Silla. A fourth observatory, Cerro Pachón, is also being built and will have a mirror with a diameter of 8.1 meters, one of the largest in the world.

The warehouse at the port of Los Vilos was built in 1860. Now restored, it has housed the Bodegón Cultural arts center since the beginning of 2002, with a greenhouse for the cultivation of native flowers, a large exhibition area, a pottery workshop, a multi-purpose hall, an Internet café and an arts and crafts shop.

 

Coordinates and area

The region stretches between 29°02'S and 32°16'S and from 69°49'W to the Pacific Ocean. According to the Military Geographic Institute (IGM), it has an area of 40,579.9 km2. Marking the southern edge of the far north of Chile, it is traditionally known as the Norte Chico (Small North) and is also the narrowest part of continental Chile with a width of just 90 km at 31º37'S, measured between the Casa de Piedra Pass and Punta Amolanas on the coast.

 

Land formation

The Coquimbo Region is divided into coastal plains, transversal mountain ranges, the main Andes range and plateaus of river sediment. The transversal mountains form a complex chain from the Andes to the coast and contain three important river basins (Elqui, Limarí and Choapa) that cut across the region.  

 

Climate

The climate of the Coquimbo Region is predominantly dry with light rainfall in winter that increases to the south. Five different climate zones exist within the region: a coastal desert climate with frequent cloud cover, a transitional desert climate, a coastal steppe with frequent cloud cover, a temperate interior steppe and a cold mountain steppe climate. 

 

Water resources

The region has three important water systems --the Elqui, Limarí and Choapa-- which reach their maximum level in November and December due to the spring melting of snow on the Andes. However, they also tend to show an important increase during the torrential rain that occasionally falls. 

 

Population

According to the 2002 Census, the region had a population of 603,210 inhabitants of whom 297,157 were men and 306,053 were women. Between 2000 and 2005, the population expanded at an estimated mean annual rate of 1.33%. 

 

Economic sectors

The region's economic activity hinges on mining led by manganese, iron, copper and gold. Its main export products are table grapes, pisco and canned and frozen seafood. Other activities include retail and, on the coast, tourism.

 

Administrative divisions

REGIONAL CAPITAL	PROVINCES	MUNICIPALITIES
La Serena	Elqui	La Serena La Higuera Coquimbo Andacollo Vicuña Paiguano
	Limarí	Ovalle Río Hurtado Monte Patria Combarbalá Punitaqui
	Choapa	Illapel Salamanca Los Vilos Canela

Foreign Direct Investment DL 600 Statistics in the Coquimbo Region (1974 -2007), (Excel 37 Kb.)