Chañaral is a small coastal city and commune in the Atacama Region, Chile and capital of the Chañaral Province. The ocean is contaminated by the copper mining activity in the area.[3][4][5] Just north of the city lies Pan de Azúcar National Park.
Chañaral | |
|---|---|
 Plaza Chañaral | |
|
 Coat of arms    Chañaral Location in Chile | |
| Coordinates: 26°20′40″S 70°37′19″W / 26.34444°S 70.62194°W | |
| Country |  Chile |
| Region |  Atacama |
| Province | Chañaral Province |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Alcalde | Margarita Flores (PR) |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,772.4 km2 (2,228.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 198 m (650 ft) |
| Population (2002 Census)[2] | |
• Total | 13,143 |
| • Density | 2.3/km2 (5.9/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 13,180 |
| • Rural | 363 |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 6,968 |
| • Women | 6,575 |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (CLT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−3 (CLST) |
| Area code | 56 + 52 |
| Climate | BWh |
| Website | www |
History
editIn 1824, Diego de Almeyda discovered significant copper deposits near Chañaral, and copper mining began in the area. The town was founded in October 26, 1833 as Chañaral de las Ánimas ("Chañar field of the Souls").
Demographics
editAccording to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE) the commune of Chañaral spans an area of 5,772.4 km2 (2,229 sq mi) and had 13,543 inhabitants (6,968 men and 6,575 women). Of these, 13,180 (97.3%) lived in urban areas and 363 (2.7%) in rural areas. The population fell by 2.8% (393 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2]
The demonym for a person from Chañaral is Chañaralino for a man and Chañaralina for a woman.
Administration
editAs a commune, Chañaral is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde (mayor) who is directly elected every four years. Since June 2021 the alcalde is Margarita Flores Salazar (PR).[1]
Climate
edit| Climate data for Chañaral | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.9 (73.2) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.5 (72.5) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21.3 (70.3) |
19.3 (66.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.8 (58.6) |
12.9 (55.2) |
9.7 (49.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
8.8 (47.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
10.2 (50.4) |
11.4 (52.5) |
13.1 (55.6) |
15.1 (59.2) |
12.2 (53.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.1 (0.04) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (0.02) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.7 (0.06) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 64 | 64 | 68 | 71 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 72 | 70 | 67 | 66 | 70 |
| Source: Bioclimatografia de Chile[6] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b "Municipality of Chañaral" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 September 2010.
- ^ a b c d "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ J.C. Castilla (1983). "Environmental impact in sandy beaches of copper mine tailings at Chañaral, Chile". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 14 (12). Elsevier Ltd.: 459–464. doi:10.1016/0025-326X(83)90046-2.
- ^ J.A. Vasquez, B. Matsuhiro, M.A. Vega, L.M. Pardo, D. Veliz; Matsuhiro; Vega; Pardo; Veliz (2000). "The effects of mining pollution on subtidal habitats of northern Chile". International Journal of Environment and Pollution. 13 (1–6): 2–25. doi:10.1504/IJEP.2000.002330.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link] - ^ J.L. Stauber; S. Andrade; M. Ramirez; M. Adams; J.A. Correa (2005). "Copper bioavailability in a coastal environment of Northern Chile: Comparison of bioassay and analytical speciation approaches". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 50 (11). Elsevier Ltd.: 1363–1372. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.05.008. PMID 15993430.
- ^ Hajek, Ernst; Castri, Francesco (1975). "Bioclimatografia de Chile" (PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
External links
edit- (in Spanish) Municipality of Chañaral