Copiapo, Chile

Copiapo, Chile

Copiapo is a city in northern Chile, located about 40 miles east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapo Province and Atacama Region.

Copiapo lies about 800 km north of Santiago by the Copiapo River, in the valley of the same name. In recent years, the river has dried up due to mining and agricultural activity in the region. The town is surrounded by the Atacama Desert and receives little rain (12 mm per year). The population of Copiapo was 9,128 in 1903, 11,617 in 1907 and, as of 2002, there are 129,091 inhabitants.

Copiapo is in a rich silver and copper mining district. It possesses a bronze statue of Juan Godoy, discoverer of the Chañarcillo silver mines in the 19th century. The Copiapo-Caldera railway line, built in 1850, was the first one in South America. The first section between Caldera and Monte Amargo was inaugurated on July 4 of 1850 in honour of the nationality of William Wheelwright, the American business man responsible for the project. The original wooden railway station is now a National Monument.

The town was christened San Francisco de la Selva de Copiapo or Saint Francis of the Jungle of Copiapo, due to its lush vegetation. Prior to Spanish occupation, the area was inhabited by the Diaguita people under the rule of the Inca Empire. The earliest archaeological remains of human activity in the Copiapo Valley have been dated at ten thousand years BP.

Copiapo by the numbers:

Copiapo by the numbers:

• Population (2022):
  • 150,804 inhabitants
• Location:
  • Lat, Long: (-27.364830, -70.322990)
  • GPS Coordinates: 27° 21' 53.388'' S, 70° 19' 22.764'' W
  • +/- 807 km (501.5 mi) north of Santiago
• Elevation:
  • 390 m (1279 ft 6")
• Timezone:
  • CLT – Chile Standard Time (Current offset: UTC -3 hrs)

Map:

Weather forecasts:

The weather:

Historical values:
	Min	Max
January	14ºC/57ºF	21ºC/70ºF
February	16ºC/61ºF	23ºC/73ºF
March	15ºC/59ºF	21ºC/70ºF
April	15ºC/59ºF	20ºC/68ºF
May	12ºC/54ºF	19ºC/66ºF
June	11ºC/52ºF	16ºC/61ºF
July	9ºC/48ºF	14ºC/57ºF
August	11ºC/52ºF	15ºC/59ºF
September	12ºC/54ºF	15ºC/59ºF
October	10ºC/50ºF	22ºC/72ºF
November	10ºC/50ºF	20ºC/68ºF
December	14ºC/57ºF	20ºC/68ºF