Iquique Province
Iquique Province (Spanish: Provincia de Iquique) is one of two provinces in the northern Chilean region of Tarapacá (I). Its capital is the port city of Iquique.
History
Until October 2007, the Province of Iquique was composed of 7 communes: Alto Hospicio, Camina, Colchane, Huara, Iquique, Pica and Pozo Almonte, but since then, with the creation of the Region of Arica and Parinacota, much of the province, specifically the municipalities of Huara, Camina, Colchane, Pozo Salmonte and Pica, pass shape administratively Tamarugal Province, leaving Iquique Province consists of two communes. DUm
Geography and demography
According to the 2012 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 2,835.3 km2 (1,095 sq mi) and had a population of 275,042 inhabitants, giving it a population density of 76.3/km2 (198/sq mi). Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 30.8% (50,959 persons).
Administration
As a province, Iquique is a second-level administrative division of Chile, which is further divided into two communes (comunas): the capital Iquique and its suburb Alto Hospicio. The province is administered by a presidentially appointed governor. Felipe Rojas Andrade was appointed by president Sebastián Piñera.
Iquique
Iquique (Spanish pronunciation: [iˈkike], ee-KEE-kay) is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal which is part of Atacama Desert. It had a population of 180,601 according to the 2012 census. It is also the main commune of the Greater Iquique. The city developed during the heyday of the saltpetre mining in Atacama Desert in the 19th century. Originally a Peruvian city with a large Chilean population it was ceded to Chile as result of War of the Pacific (1879–1883). Today it is one of only two free ports of Chile.
History
Although the city was founded in the 16th century, there is evidence of habitation in the area by the Chango people as early as 7,000 BC. During colonial times, Iquique was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru as much of South America was at the time, and remained part of Peruvian territory until the end of the 19th century. Iquique's early development was due in large part to the discovery of mineral riches, particularly the presence of large deposits of sodium nitrate in the Atacama Desert (then part of Peruvian territory).
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