Iquique

Iquique, city, northern Chile. It is located on a rocky peninsula in the Atacama Desert, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Its anchorage is protected from the open sea by the low, barren offshore island of Serrano, which is connected to the mainland by a stone causeway.

Founded in the 16th century, the city was partially destroyed in 1868 and 1875 by earthquakes, but some wooden houses from that time still stand. During the desert’s nitrate boom of the 19th and early 20th centuries Iquique was the country’s major export port. Following the decline in nitrate prices during the 1930s and 1940s, the city stagnated. In an effort to revive the economy, modern port facilities have been installed and new industries established. Fish-meal plants and canneries are in operation. Guano on the coast and offshore islands is exploited, and salt deposits to the south are worked. New lands have been opened up by irrigation for the cultivation of fruits (especially citrus) and olives. Tourism, based on sport fishing and beach facilities, also contributes to the economy.

Iquique is linked to other cities by the north-south trending Pan-American Highway and by railroad; it also has an airport. Following a defense accord signed by both Chile and Bolivia in 2008, Iquique became the first Chilean port to be used for the free transport of Bolivian goods since 1904. Bolivia had lost its Pacific outlet in 1883 following the War of the Pacific, and a treaty in 1904 made the situation official. Pop. (2002) 164,396; (2017) municipality, 191,468.