Copiapó, Chile

Chapel of Candelaria, Copiapó, Chile
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capilla_candelaria_1.JPG
Author: Cotoravg


Copiapó is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region in northern Chile. It is locate on the banks of the Copiapó River, about 75 km from the ocean, at Caldera.

Copiapó was founded in 1744, and was originally called San Francisco de la Selva de Copiapó, meaning "St Francis of the Forest of Copiapó". As with other settlements in the area, was established due to silver and copper mining. It was the northernmost city in Chile until the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), when Chile extended its area north to include cities such as Antofagasta and Iquique.

Mining is the main form of economic activity in Copiapó and still is today. On 5 August 2010, the city made the world news for a calamity with a happy ending, when a cave-in at the 121-year-old San José copper-and-gold mine trapped 33 miners underground for a record 69 days, until they were eventually rescued.

Museo Regional de Atacama, Copiapó
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Museo_regional_atacama.JPG
Author: Sfs90

Visiting Copiapó

There are regular buses from Antofagasta, Iquique and Arica from the north, and from La Serena and Santiago from the south. However, to properly explore the city, it is best that you have your own transport.

Sights & Attractions in Copiapó

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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