thumb|200px|[[Cruz del Tercer Milenio in Coquimbo.]]

thumb|200px|El Faro in [[La Serena, Chile|La Serena.]]

thumb|Historic Centre of [[La Serena, Chile|La Serena.]]

thumb|200px|Bauer's Tower of [[Vicuña, Chile|Vicuña.]]

thumb|200px|Night view of [[Coquimbo's port.]]

The Coquimbo Region (, ) is one of Chile's 16 administrative regions. It is located approximately north of the national capital, Santiago. The region is bordered by the Atacama Region to the north, the Valparaíso Region to the south, Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

The capital and largest city is La Serena. Other significant cities include Coquimbo, a major seaport, and Ovalle, a center for agriculture.

Geography

The Coquimbo Region forms the narrowest part of Chile and is one of the most mountainous areas in the country, as the Andes range lies closer to the sea here than in other regions. The region is home to diverse marine and terrestrial species. Upwelling along the coast fosters high marine productivity, contributing to a rich ecosystem.

In the southern mountainous areas, the endangered Chilean Wine Palm (Jubaea chilensis) can be found. Its habitat is under threat from human activities, such as population growth and deforestation for agriculture and urban expansion.

The Elqui Valley, known for its clear skies, is home to numerous astronomical observatories. Additionally, the Puclaro Dam, a 640-meter-long structure, contains a reservoir that holds 4.63 million cubic meters of water for agricultural irrigation along the Elqui River.

Demography

Mining and agriculture have shaped the distribution of settlements in the Coquimbo Region, particularly around transverse valleys and mineral deposits. Historically, these settlements corresponded to the locations of Diaguita indigenous villages. A significant portion of the population, around 70-75%, is of Mestizo (Euro-Amerindian) descent, the highest percentage in Chile. Other indigenous groups present in the region include the Aymara, Atacameño, Mapuche, and Quechua, many of whom except Mapuche migrated from Peru and Bolivia.

The La Serena-Coquimbo conurbation, with an estimated population of around 300,000 people (297,253 as of the last census), accounts for about half of the region's total population. Other major urban centers include Ovalle (118,696), Illapel (32,009), Monte Patria (29,997), Vicuña (28,047), Salamanca (27,823), and Los Vilos (22,897), based on data from the 2024 census.

Economy

The Coquimbo Region is a popular tourist destination, known for its long, white-sand beaches and mild climate. The region's economy is also supported by agriculture and fishing. Additionally, its mountainous terrain makes it a key location for astronomical research.

The region hosts the iron mines of El Romeral, near La Serena and El Dorado near Ovalle, in addition to the copper mines of Panulcillo also near Ovalle, Carmen de Andacollo next to Andacollo and Los Pelambres in the high Andes near the Argentina–Chile border. The Dominga copper-iron mine project lies in the region.

Until 2009 when mining of manganese ceased in Chile Coquimbo Region produced all of manganese in the country. All the manganese mining districts of the region lie in the inland. Manganese mining in Chile and Corral Quemado had a strong peak in 1943 when it came to produce more of what was being purchased leading to large stockpiles accumulating in ports and railway stations and ultimately to a halt in mining and thus mass unemployment.

  • Hermann Niemeyer, a pediatrician and biochemist born in Ovalle in 1918, who played a key role in the development of biochemistry in Chile.

References

  • R.N. Gibson, R.J.A. Atkinson and J.D.M. Gordon (2007) Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review, CRC Press, 560 pages
  • C. Michael Hogan (2008) Chilean Wine Palm: Jubaea chilensis, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
  • Gobierno Regional de Coquimbo Official website – archived