Friday, December 13, 2019, Iquique, Chile
IQUIQUE, CHILE Iquique ( Spanish pronunciation: [iˈkike] ) is a port city and commune in northern Chile , capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region . It lies on the Pacific coast , west of the Pampa del Tamarugal , which is part of the Atacama Desert . It had a population of 191,468 according to the 2017 census; an additional ~100,000 live in a growing town on top of the hills to the east. It is also the main commune of Greater Iquique . The city developed during the heyday of the saltpeter mining in the Atacama Desert in the 19th century. Once a Peruvian city with a large Chilean population, it was conquered by Chile in the War of the Pacific ** (1879–1883). Today it is one of only two free ports of Chile, the other one being Punta Arenas , in the country's far south. [ ** The Na...