Chañaral
Chañaral is a small coastal city and commune in the Atacama Region, Chile and capital of the Chañaral Province. The ocean is contaminated by the copper mining activity in the area. Just north of the city lies Pan de Azúcar National Park.
It is the central town of a mining district dominated by medium-scale mining, including the nearby El Carmen mine which is considered the basis for the medium-scale iron mining in Chile.
History
In 1824, Diego de Almeyda discovered significant copper deposits near Chañaral, and copper mining began in the area. The town was founded in October 26, 1833 as Chañaral de las Ánimas.Demographics
According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute the commune of Chañaral spans an area of and had 13,543 inhabitants. Of these, 13,180 lived in urban areas and 363 in rural areas. The population fell by 2.8% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.The demonym for a person from Chañaral is Chañaralino for a man and Chañaralina for a woman.