Atacama Region

The Atacama Region (Spanish: Región de Atacama, pronounced [ataˈkama]) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It comprises three provinces: Chañaral, Copiapó and Huasco. It is bordered to the north by Antofagasta, to the south by Coquimbo, to the east by the provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja and San Juan of Argentina, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. The regional capital Copiapó is located 806 km (501 mi) north of the country's capital of Santiago. The region occupies the southern portion of the Atacama Desert, the rest of the desert is mainly distributed among the other regions of Norte Grande. As a generalization south of Copiapó River the region is mostly semi-arid and north of it is a true desert. The inland area in the north also differs from the southern part by hosting active volcanoes part of the Central Volcanic Zone of Andes. The region has a long tradition of mining.

The Atacama Region is the third least populated region of the country, after Aisén and Magallanes. Of its total population, over 50% are located in the cities of Copiapó and Vallenar.

The largest cities are (2017 census data) Copiapó (150,804 inhabitants), Vallenar (45,298), Caldera (15,547), Chañaral (11,073), El Salvador (6,032) Tierra Amarilla (9,857), and Diego de Almagro (7,223).

The original inhabitants of this area were the Diaguitas and Changos.^{[citation needed]}

The region experienced a boom when the Chañarcillo silver mine was discovered by Juan Godoy in 1832.

Much of the region is desert, and encompasses considerable mineral resources. Numerous flora and fauna species are found in the Atacama Region. One subspecies of the lesser rhea, known by the scientific name Rhea pennata tarapacensis, is a notable large terrestrial bird in this region, which subspecies is considered endangered. The diminished numbers of this bird are due to prehistoric and modern hunting but more significantly due to agricultural land conversion in order to feed the expanding human population.

The geology of the region has four metallogenetic belts where deposits of valuable metals are found. From west to east these belts are the Atacama Fault System (copper and iron), the Inca de Oro Belt (silver, gold), the West Fissure System (copper) and lastly the Maricunga Belt (gold) close to the Argentine border. The Chilean Iron Belt largely follows the Atacama Fault System.

Mining accounts for 41% of the region's GDP and 90% of its exports.^{[citation needed]} Moreover, various geological surveys have identified new deposits.^{[citation needed]} In Atacama Region medium and small-scale mining has a larger share of mining properties relative to large-scale mining that is dominant in the more northern regions of Tarapacá and Antofagasta. The region's mining activity is centered on copper mining, but it host most of Chile's iron and gold mines. In Atacama Region there are numerous small-scale mines, which sell their output to ENAMI (the national mining company) for processing at its Paipote smelter. The region's main copper deposit is Candelaria, which produces around 200,000 tonnes per year and is controlled by Phelps Dodge, an international corporation.^{[needs update]} The next in size is El Salvador, owned by CODELCO, with an annual output of around 81,000 tonnes. Both mines export through the port of Chañaral.^{[citation needed]}