Coquimbo

Coordinates: 29°57′11″S 71°20′36″W / 29.95306°S 71.34333°W / -29.95306; -71.34333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Coquimbo
City and Commune
Flag
Flag
Coat of arms
Coat of arms
UTC−3 (CLT)
Postal code
1780000
Area code56 + 51
Websitemunicoquimbo.cl
Cruz del Tercer Milenio in Coquimbo.

Coquimbo is a port city, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley 10 km (6 mi) south of La Serena, with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than 400,000 inhabitants. The commune spans an area around the harbor of 1,429.3 km2 (552 sq mi).[2] The average temperature in the city lies around 14 °C (57 °F), and precipitation is low.

History

The area was originally occupied by indigenous people, who used it as a settlement and for fishing purposes. The natural harbour in Coquimbo was taken over by Pedro de Valdivia from Spain in 1550. The gold and copper industry in the region led to the city's importance as a port around 1840 and many Europeans especially from England settled in Coquimbo. In 1879 it was recognised as a town.

The city was on the main path of totality of the Solar eclipse of July 2, 2019.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Coquimbo had 163,036 inhabitants (79,428 men and 83,608 women). Of these, 154,316 (94.7%) lived in urban areas and 8,720 (5.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 32.8% (40,270 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2]

Administration

As a

administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde was Cristian Galleguillos Vega.[1]

Within the

PDC
) as part of the 4th senatorial constituency (Coquimbo Region).

Economy

The city is an industrial and shipping center. It is growing quickly, registering a 32.8% growth rate from 1992 to 2002. Tourism has started to develop. It is an access point for beach towns to the south, such as Guanaqueros and Tongoy. The port is still important for shipping, especially fruit and copper from mines in the region. Wine is also produced in the area.

Sports

The city has a football team called

Club de Deportes La Serena
.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Chile

Twin towns – Sister cities

Coquimbo is

twinned
with:

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Municipality of Coquimbo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Elbląg - Podstrony / Miasta partnerskie". Elbląski Dziennik Internetowy (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2011-03-15. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  4. ^ "Elbląg - Miasta partnerskie". Elbląg.net (in Polish). Retrieved 2013-08-01.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coquimbo.
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