Calama, Chile
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2011) |
Calama | |
---|---|
UTC−3 (CLST) | |
Postal code | 1399001 |
Climate | BWk |
Website | Official website (in Spanish) |
Calama is a
The commune also encompasses the
In 2003 the nearby town of Chuquicamata, once the largest open-pit copper mine in the world, was dismantled citing environmental reasons and encroachment from the mine's expansion. Residents of Chuquicamata then moved to Calama, away from company-owned residences, to find housing on their own.
Etymology
There are a variety of hypotheses about the origin of the name "Calama," but the two main accounts suggest that it comes from the
Hector Pumarino Soto suggests that "Calama" stems from the Kunza word "Ckara-ama," which means "town in the middle of the water".[
Emilio Vaïsse, meanwhile, says that Calama comes from the Kunza word "Ckolama," which means "place where partridges abound".[4] This is supposed testimony to the abundance of such a bird, living over everything in the middle of the western swamp sector.[citation needed]
History
Prehispanic Era
The exact evidence related to the history of Calama does exist, including petroglyphs and the caves of Yalquincha (NE of the city), the chullpas of Topáter (pre-Columbian cemeteries to the east of the city), the Copper Mummy, and other remains in Chuquicamata.
At the intersection of the
Hispanic Era
Spanish colonization obviously caused some changes; however, the hostile climate impeded establishment of greater control. These changes influenced the control of trade routes that crossed the desert and communication to the port of Cobija with the deposits of Potosí silver and the cattle farms of Salta and Tucumán. In this sense, Calama continued as a main point of provision for commercial routes. In the 18th century, with the Bourbon Reforms. Calama was included in maps of the Captaincy General of Chile in the 18th century, depending from the city of Copiapó.[5]
Bolivian Republic Era
After
The
Chilean Republic Era
Since that day, the changes in the administration have been very deep. It being part of the administrative center of 2° order in Bolivia, returned as one of 4° order under the Chilean administration (subdelegation). In 1888, under the government of José Manuel Balmaceda, Calama returned as an administrative center of 3° order, inaugurated as the municipality on 13 October. Prior to that, in 1886, Calama was chosen for a railway station of the Antofagasta-Bolivia Railway, which further expedited shipments through Calama.
Geography and climate
Calama has two distinct entities: the
Climate data for Calama (1991–2020, extremes 1966–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 31.2 (88.2) |
30.4 (86.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.6 (85.3) |
28.8 (83.8) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.3 (86.5) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.3 (86.5) |
31.2 (88.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 24.8 (76.6) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.3 (75.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.0 (77.0) |
23.5 (74.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.8 (60.4) |
15.9 (60.6) |
15.1 (59.2) |
13.6 (56.5) |
11.9 (53.4) |
10.9 (51.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
11.4 (52.5) |
12.3 (54.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
14.0 (57.2) |
15.0 (59.0) |
13.3 (55.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) |
7.1 (44.8) |
6.0 (42.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
1.6 (34.9) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
0.4 (32.7) |
1.2 (34.2) |
2.3 (36.1) |
3.2 (37.8) |
4.9 (40.8) |
3.1 (37.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0.4 (0.02) |
1.4 (0.06) |
0.8 (0.03) |
0.2 (0.01) |
1.3 (0.05) |
0.6 (0.02) |
1.0 (0.04) |
0.8 (0.03) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
6.6 (0.26) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
42 | 47 | 47 | 39 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 36 | 37 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 353.4 | 305.1 | 319.3 | 312.0 | 306.9 | 297.0 | 310.0 | 316.2 | 321.0 | 356.5 | 363.0 | 365.8 | 3,926.2 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 11.4 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 10.0 | 10.2 | 10.7 | 11.5 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 10.8 |
Source 1: Dirección Meteorológica de Chile[7][8] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: |
Orography
The western boundary of the town of Calama is marked by the peaks of the foothills, which occurs north of Calama in the foothills of the Loa River, which has many names, from north to south: Sierra Moreno, Cerros Chuquicamata Cerros de Montecristo. The Cerro Poquis (4,589 m), is the maximum altitude, north of Chuquicamata. South of it begin the foothills of the Cordillera de Domeyko, which in turn serve to chart the southern boundary of the district, with the names of Sierra de Limón Verde and Cordon Barros Arana. The passage of Loa river from east to west leaves a plain, in which the city of Calama and the oasis is located.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Calama has an area of 15,596.9 km (9,691 mi) and has 138,402 inhabitants (70,832 men and 67,570 women). Of these, 136,600 (98.7%) lived in urban areas and 1,802 (1.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 3.6% (16,595 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2]
Administration
As a
Within the
Transportation
Calama is served by the El Loa Airport.
References
- ^ "Municipality of Calama" (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^ "Topographic Map of Calama from Google Maps".
- ISSN 0717-8883.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link - ^ Jaime Eyzaguirre (1967). BREVE HISTORIA DE LAS FRONTERAS DE CHILE.
- ^ "Local Weather Forecast, News and Conditions | Weather Underground".
- ^ "Datos Normales y Promedios Históricos Promedios de 30 años o menos" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ "Temperatura Histórica de la Estación El Loa, Calama Ad. (220002)" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ "El Loa Aeropuerto Calama Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Tabla 4.6: Medias mensuales de horas de sol diarias extraídas del WRDC ruso (en (hrs./dia))" (PDF). Elementos Para La Creación de Un Manual de Buenas Prácticas Para Instalaciones Solares Térmicas Domiciliarias (in Spanish). Universidad de Chile. September 2007. p. 81. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
External links
- (in Spanish) Municipality of Calama