In 1824, Diego de Almeyda discovered significant copper deposits near Chañaral, and hence beginning copper mining and export in the area. For this reason, the town was founded in October 26, 1833 as Chañaral de las Ánimas ("Chañar field of the Souls"). A few years later, Pedro Lujan discovered ore at El Salado where a mine was built. A shipping port was developed in 1836 to support the transport of raw materials, and the town experienced a period of growth starting around 1860 when the mining company A. Edwards & Company established operations there.
Demographics
According 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
As a commune, Chañaral is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. Since June 2021 the alcalde is Margarita Flores Salazar (PR), and the council has the following members:[1]
^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. PMID15993430.
^Hajek, Ernst; Castri, Francesco (1975). "Bioclimatografia de Chile"(PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
