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126-523: The Atacama Desert ( Spanish : Desierto de Atacama ) is a desert plateau located on the Pacific coast of South America , in the north of Chile . Stretching over a 1,600-kilometre-long (1,000-mile) strip of land west of the Andes Mountains , it covers an area of 105,000 km (41,000 sq mi), which increases to 128,000 km (49,000 sq mi) if the barren lower slopes of
252-509: A cold desert climate ( Köppen BWk ) with abundant sunshine and strong maritime influence. The marked aridity and water scarcity are regulated by the Humboldt Current , in addition to the high humidity and morning fog known as "Camanchaca". Furthermore, the Pacific anticyclone generates winds from the south and southwest. The average annual temperature is 16.8 °C (62.2 °F). The average daily low temperature in
378-644: A secret treaty of defensive alliance with Peru. This would be used as an argument 5 years later in Chile, when it unleashed the War of the Pacific . The secret alliance forbade Bolivia from signing a border treaty with Chile, without consulting with Peru . However, in 1874 Chile and Bolivia signed a border treaty, which replaced the previous treaty of 1866 . One of its points was not to impose new taxes on individuals, industries and Chilean capital for 25 years. For Bolivia,
504-660: A Spanish-based creole language called Chavacano developed in the southern Philippines. However, it is not mutually intelligible with Spanish. The number of Chavacano-speakers was estimated at 1.2 million in 1996. The local languages of the Philippines also retain significant Spanish influence, with many words derived from Mexican Spanish , owing to the administration of the islands by Spain through New Spain until 1821, until direct governance from Madrid afterwards to 1898. Antofagasta Antofagasta ( Spanish pronunciation: [antofaˈɣasta] )
630-603: A considerable number of words from Arabic , as well as a minor influence from the Germanic Gothic language through the period of Visigoth rule in Iberia. In addition, many more words were borrowed from Latin through the influence of written language and the liturgical language of the Church. The loanwords were taken from both Classical Latin and Renaissance Latin , the form of Latin in use at that time. According to
756-522: A dramatic change in the pronunciation of its sibilant consonants , known in Spanish as the reajuste de las sibilantes , which resulted in the distinctive velar [x] pronunciation of the letter ⟨j⟩ and—in a large part of Spain—the characteristic interdental [θ] ("th-sound") for the letter ⟨z⟩ (and for ⟨c⟩ before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩ ). See History of Spanish (Modern development of
882-482: A first language by Spaniards and educated Filipinos ( Ilustrados ). Despite a public education system set up by the colonial government, by the end of Spanish rule in 1898, only about 10% of the population had knowledge of Spanish, mostly those of Spanish descent or elite standing. Spanish continued to be official and used in Philippine literature and press during the early years of American administration after
1008-561: A group of British scientists have suggested that some river beds have been dry for 120,000 years. However, some locations in the Atacama receive a marine fog known locally as the camanchaca , providing sufficient moisture for hypolithic algae , lichens , and even some cacti —the genus Copiapoa is notable among these. Geographically, the aridity of the Atacama is explained by its being situated between two mountain chains (the Andes and
1134-550: A land without men, where there is not a bird, not a beast, nor a tree, nor any vegetation. La Araucana by Alonso de Ercilla , 1569 In 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander detected perchlorates on the surface of Mars at the same site where water was first discovered. Perchlorates are also found in the Atacama and associated nitrate deposits have contained organics, leading to speculation that signs of life on Mars are not incompatible with perchlorates. The Atacama
1260-478: A long history in the territory of the current-day United States dating back to the 16th century. In the wake of the 1848 Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty , hundreds of thousands of Spanish speakers became a minoritized community in the United States. The 20th century saw further massive growth of Spanish speakers in areas where they had been hitherto scarce. According to the 2020 census, over 60 million people of
1386-603: A much-prized resin, which the mining industry once harvested indiscriminately as fuel, making this plant endangered. The desert is also home to cacti, succulents, and other plants that thrive in a dry climate. Cactus species here include the candelabro ( Browningia candelaris ) and cardon ( Echinopsis atacamensis ), which can reach a height of 7 m (23 ft) and a diameter of 70 cm (28 in). The Atacama Desert flowering ( Spanish : desierto florido ) can be seen from September to November in years with sufficient precipitation, as happened in 2015. The climate of
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#17327647426181512-508: A primarily Hassaniya Arabic -speaking territory, Spanish was officially spoken as the language of the colonial administration during the late 19th and 20th centuries. Today, Spanish is present in the partially-recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as its secondary official language, and in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf ( Algeria ), where the Spanish language is still taught as
1638-617: A second language features characteristics involving the variability of the vowel system. While far from its heyday during the Spanish protectorate in Morocco , the Spanish language has some presence in northern Morocco , stemming for example from the availability of certain Spanish-language media. According to a 2012 survey by Morocco's Royal Institute for Strategic Studies (IRES), penetration of Spanish in Morocco reaches 4.6% of
1764-531: A second language, largely by Cuban educators. The number of Spanish speakers is unknown. Spanish is also an official language of the African Union . Spanish was an official language of the Philippines from the beginning of Spanish administration in 1565 to a constitutional change in 1973. During Spanish colonization , it was the language of government, trade, and education, and was spoken as
1890-675: A series of endorheic basins in much of the Atacama Desert south of latitude 19°30'S. North of this latitude, the intermediate depression drains into the Pacific Ocean. In December 2023, scientists, for the first time, reported on a recently discovered area in the territory of Puna de Atacama , which may have similarities to Earth during the Archean eon and thus to the environment of the first life forms on Earth . It could as well be similar to conceivably-hospitable conditions on
2016-416: Is cognate to the root word of satisfacer ("to satisfy"), and hecho ("made") is similarly cognate to the root word of satisfecho ("satisfied"). Compare the examples in the following table: Some consonant clusters of Latin also produced characteristically different results in these languages, as shown in the examples in the following table: In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish underwent
2142-436: Is Latin in origin, including Latin borrowings from Ancient Greek. Alongside English and French , it is also one of the most taught foreign languages throughout the world. Spanish is well represented in the humanities and social sciences . Spanish is also the third most used language on the internet by number of users after English and Chinese and the second most used language by number of websites after English. Spanish
2268-466: Is a port city in northern Chile , about 1,100 kilometres (700 mi) north of Santiago . It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region . According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. Once claimed by Bolivia following the Spanish American wars of independence , Antofagasta was captured by Chile on February 14, 1879, triggering the War of
2394-490: Is about 15 mm (0.6 in) per year, although some locations only receive 1 to 3 mm (0.04 to 0.12 in) in a year. Moreover, some weather stations in the Atacama have never received rain. Periods up to four years have been registered with no rainfall in the central sector, delimited by the cities of Antofagasta , Calama , and Copiapó , in Chile. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971. The Atacama Desert may be
2520-490: Is also a testing site for the NASA-funded Earth–Mars Cave Detection Program . On 21 February 2023, scientists reported the findings of a "dark microbiome" of unfamiliar microorganisms in the Atacama Desert. In June 1991, Antofagasta and Taltal and inland regions as far as Calama received unusual rainfall leading to formation of a series of mudflows that killed 91 people. In 2012,
2646-399: Is by far the most important mining activity for Antofagasta, fueling a steady growth in the areas of construction, retail, hotel accommodations, population growth and skyline development until the end of the 2000s commodities boom in 2013. Since the 2010s Antofagasta is also a service hub for lithium mining. In 2012, Antofagasta has the highest GDP per capita of Chile, US$ 37,000 and
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#17327647426182772-466: Is directly elected every four years. As of 2021, the mayor is Jonathan Velásquez. The communal council has the following members: Within the electoral divisions of Chile , Antofagasta is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Marcela Hernando ( PRSD ) and Paulina Nuñez ( RN ) as part of the 4th electoral district, together with Mejillones , Sierra Gorda and Taltal . The commune is represented in
2898-454: Is estimated that about 486 million people speak Spanish as a native language , making it the second most spoken language by number of native speakers . An additional 75 million speak Spanish as a second or foreign language , making it the fourth most spoken language in the world overall after English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi with a total number of 538 million speakers. Spanish is also
3024-761: Is heavily influenced by Venezuelan Spanish. In addition to sharing most of its borders with Spanish-speaking countries, the creation of Mercosur in the early 1990s induced a favorable situation for the promotion of Spanish language teaching in Brazil . In 2005, the National Congress of Brazil approved a bill, signed into law by the President , making it mandatory for schools to offer Spanish as an alternative foreign language course in both public and private secondary schools in Brazil. In September 2016 this law
3150-555: Is like many of the small towns. Before the Inca Empire and prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the extremely arid interior was inhabited primarily by the Atacameño tribe. They are noted for building fortified towns called pucarás , one of which is located a few kilometers from San Pedro de Atacama. The town's church was built by the Spanish in 1577. The Atacameño were an extinct South American Indian culture, different from
3276-786: Is located south of the Loa River between the parallel Sierra Vicuña Mackenna and the Cordillera Domeyko . To the north of the Loa lies the Pampa del Tamarugal . The Coastal Cliff of northern Chile west of the Chilean Coast Range is the main topographical feature of the coast. The geomorphology of the Atacama Desert has been characterized as a low-relief bench "similar to a giant uplifted terrace" by Armijo and co-workers. The intermediate depression (or Central Valley) forms
3402-401: Is mainly based on copper mining and nonmetallic minerals such as nitrate and iodine . There are refinery furnaces for the copper industry. Cement and lime are mined to aid copper refining. The area also has iron ore deposits, for steel. The second industrial area is located in the north of the city, where they have installed multiple operating centers of different companies, mainly along
3528-470: Is one of the highest-growing wood species in the world. It is found at altitudes between 3,000 and 5,000 m (9,800 and 16,400 ft). Its dense form is similar to a pillow some 3 to 4 m (9.8 to 13.1 ft) thick. It concentrates and retains the heat from the day to cope with low evening temperatures. The growth rate of the llareta has been recently estimated at 1.5 cm/year (0.59 in/year), making many llaretas over 3,000 years old. It produces
3654-514: Is public, University of Antofagasta , and other private, Catholic University of the North . Several private autonomous universities have been open since 2002. Previously, the now-defunct "University José Santos Ossa" was the only private autonomous university in Antofagasta. Although the public schools are distributed almost uniformly throughout the city, the private schools operate mainly in
3780-482: Is rich in metallic mineral resources such as copper, gold, silver and iron, as well as nonmetallic minerals including important deposits of boron, lithium, sodium nitrate, and potassium salts. The Salar de Atacama is where bischofite is extracted. These resources are exploited by various mining companies such as Codelco, Lomas Bayas, Mantos Blancos, and Soquimich. In recent years, large amounts of used clothing imported from overseas have begun to accumulate in portions of
3906-434: Is seasonally irrigated by melted snow. Vicuñas need to remain near a steady water supply, while guanacos can roam into more arid areas and survive longer without fresh water. South American fur seals and South American sea lions often gather along the coast. The Atacama is sparsely populated, with most towns located along the Pacific coast. In interior areas, oases and some valleys have been populated for millennia and were
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4032-844: Is spoken by very small communities in Angola due to Cuban influence from the Cold War and in South Sudan among South Sudanese natives that relocated to Cuba during the Sudanese wars and returned for their country's independence. Spanish is also spoken in the integral territories of Spain in Africa, namely the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the Canary Islands , located in the Atlantic Ocean some 100 km (62 mi) off
4158-465: Is subject to a climate of extreme aridity, and therefore generates a low average annual rainfall of 3.4 mm (0.13 in) (1970–2000), and the Town of Antofagasta itself receives an annual average of less than 0.1 mm (0.004 in) of rainfall per year, earning it the record as the world's driest town. However, the sporadic occurrence of heavy rainfall, together with the geomorphologic situation of
4284-813: Is the de facto national language of the country, Spanish is often used in public services and notices at the federal and state levels. Spanish is also used in administration in the state of New Mexico . The language has a strong influence in major metropolitan areas such as those of Los Angeles , Miami , San Antonio , New York , San Francisco , Dallas , Tucson and Phoenix of the Arizona Sun Corridor , as well as more recently, Chicago , Las Vegas , Boston , Denver , Houston , Indianapolis , Philadelphia , Cleveland , Salt Lake City , Atlanta , Nashville , Orlando , Tampa , Raleigh and Baltimore-Washington, D.C. due to 20th- and 21st-century immigration. Although Spanish has no official recognition in
4410-488: Is the official Spanish language of the State. ... The other Spanish languages shall also be official in their respective Autonomous Communities... The Royal Spanish Academy ( Real Academia Española ), on the other hand, currently uses the term español in its publications. However, from 1713 to 1923, it called the language castellano . The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas (a language guide published by
4536-605: Is used as an official language by many international organizations , including the United Nations , European Union , Organization of American States , Union of South American Nations , Community of Latin American and Caribbean States , African Union , among others. In Spain and some other parts of the Spanish-speaking world, Spanish is called not only español but also castellano (Castilian),
4662-578: Is usually assumed to be derived from castillo ('castle'). In the Middle Ages , the language spoken in Castile was generically referred to as Romance and later also as Lengua vulgar . Later in the period, it gained geographical specification as Romance castellano ( romanz castellano , romanz de Castiella ), lenguaje de Castiella , and ultimately simply as castellano (noun). Different etymologies have been suggested for
4788-559: The Calidris and mammals like the culpeo fox , inhabit or visit the wetlands. Some of these wetlands are threatened by garbage, street dogs , extraction of water, establishments of shacks ( Spanish : ruco ) and the diversion of water courses. As of January 2024 the municipality of Antofagasta plans to declare the wetlands official urban wetlands in accordance with the Urban Wetlands Law . The town of Antofagasta has
4914-483: The Americas and Spain , and about 600 million when including second language speakers. Spanish is the official language of 20 countries , as well as one of the six official languages of the United Nations . Spanish is the world's second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese ; the world's fourth-most spoken language overall after English , Mandarin Chinese, and Hindustani ( Hindi - Urdu ); and
5040-727: The Aymara to the north and the Diaguita to the south. The oasis settlement of Pica has Pre-hispanic origins and served as an important stopover for transit between the coast and the Altiplano during the time of the Inca Empire . The coastal cities originated in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries during the time of the Spanish Empire , when they emerged as shipping ports for silver produced in Potosí and other mining centers. At
5166-912: The CBI , the ASTE and the ACT , among others, have been operating in the Chajnantor area since 1999. On 26 April 2010, the ESO council decided to build a fourth site, Cerro Armazones , to be home to the Extremely Large Telescope . Construction work at the ELT site started in June 2014. The Carnegie Institution for Science operates the Las Campanas Observatory with several telescope in
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5292-568: The Senate by Pedro Araya ( Progressive Convergence , 2014–2022) and Alejandro Guillier ( Progressive Convergence , 2014–2022) as part of the 2nd senatorial constituency (Antofagasta Region). The township has three local police courts. In addition, the Municipality of Antofagasta has a number of municipal headquarters, which are entities created to meet and control certain community needs a more specific way. Antofagasta's economic development
5418-568: The Spanish as a First Foreign Language (SAFFL) initiative in March 2005. Spanish has historically had a significant presence on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba , Bonaire and Curaçao ( ABC Islands ) throughout the centuries and in present times. The majority of the populations of each island (especially Aruba) speaking Spanish at varying although often high degrees of fluency. The local language Papiamentu (Papiamento on Aruba)
5544-508: The Spanish–American War but was eventually replaced by English as the primary language of administration and education by the 1920s. Nevertheless, despite a significant decrease in influence and speakers, Spanish remained an official language of the Philippines upon independence in 1946, alongside English and Filipino , a standardized version of Tagalog . Spanish was briefly removed from official status in 1973 but reimplemented under
5670-607: The University of Chile . On 18 June 1991, a mudslide devastated much of the city , undermining land, damaged 2,464 houses and destroyed 493 buildings. Material damage was estimated at $ 70,000,000. The disaster left 92 dead, 16 missing and about 20,000 homeless. On 30 July 1995, the city was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale , with an intensity VII to VIII on the Mercalli Scale . The city
5796-469: The War of the Pacific . The desert is littered with about 170 abandoned nitrate (or "saltpeter") mining towns, almost all of which were shut down decades after the invention of synthetic nitrate in Germany in the first decade of the 20th century (see Haber process ). The towns include Chacabuco , Humberstone, Santa Laura , Pedro de Valdivia, Puelma, María Elena , and Oficina Anita. The Atacama Desert
5922-463: The lomas , where it lays eggs in permanent ponds or streams. Iguanians and lava lizards inhabit parts of the desert, while salt flat lizards, Liolaemus , live in the dry areas bordering the ocean. One species, Liolaemus fabiani , is endemic to the Salar de Atacama , the Atacama salt flat. Birds are one of the most diverse animal groups in the Atacama. Humboldt penguins live year-round along
6048-441: The "Hoya La Chimba", "Hoya Caracoles", "Hoya La Cadena", "Hoya La Negra" and "Hoya El Way". These watersheds and their streams ( Quebrada ), such as "Quebrada sin nombre", "Quebrada Baquedano", "Quebrada El Toro", "Quebrada El Carrizo" and "Quebrada Jardines del Sur", which helped cause the flood of 1991. The coastal edge of Antofagasta is rocky and steep, so there are no natural beaches, the majority being artificial. Just north of
6174-505: The "Pedro Aguirre Cerda Avenue." Since the 2010s Antofagasta is a hub for lithium mining. Chile has the largest reserves of lithium worldwide and was the second largest producer in 2024, after Australia, and it is shipped from Antofagasta. Trade is concentrated mainly in the center of Antofagasta, around the Plaza Colón , where within the last 2 decades several national retail chains were in place. Moreover, in different parts of
6300-412: The 18th and 19th centuries resulted in widespread deforestation . In a region about 100 km (60 mi) south of Antofagasta, which averages 3,000 m (10,000 ft) in elevation, the soil has been compared to that of Mars . Owing to its otherworldly appearance, the Atacama has been used as a location for filming Mars scenes, most notably in the 2004 television series Space Odyssey: Voyage to
6426-404: The 2021–2022 school year alone. The local business process outsourcing industry has also helped boost the language's economic prospects. Today, while the actual number of proficient Spanish speakers is around 400,000, or under 0.5% of the population, a new generation of Spanish speakers in the Philippines has likewise emerged, though speaker estimates vary widely. Aside from standard Spanish,
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#17327647426186552-595: The 20th century, Spanish was introduced to Equatorial Guinea and the Western Sahara , and to areas of the United States that had not been part of the Spanish Empire, such as Spanish Harlem in New York City . For details on borrowed words and other external influences upon Spanish, see Influences on the Spanish language . Spanish is the primary language in 20 countries worldwide. As of 2023, it
6678-594: The 3rd place for Human Development Index just after Metropolitana de Santiago Region and Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region . The territory of Antofagasta was included in maps of the Captaincy General of Chile in the 18th century, depending from the city of Copiapó . The territory was disputed between Chile and Bolivia until the signing of the Boundary Treaty of 1866 . On 18 September 1866, José Santos Ossa and Francisco Puelma achieved
6804-546: The 54% of copper at the national level, business events are held in Antofagasta. Events are held annually with the assistance of several mining countries of the world, and one of the most important is Exponor organized by the Asociación de Industriales Antofagasta, guild formed by the major copper producers in the region. Exponor is a show that promotes the gestation of chains, new business and exchanging knowledge and experiences among entrepreneurs from different countries of
6930-564: The 9th century, and the first systematic written use of the language happened in Toledo , a prominent city of the Kingdom of Castile , in the 13th century. Spanish colonialism in the early modern period spurred the introduction of the language to overseas locations, most notably to the Americas. As a Romance language, Spanish is a descendant of Latin. Around 75% of modern Spanish vocabulary
7056-755: The Amazon Basin to the Atacama. Though there was a general lack of humid air after 33 Ma, there were punctuated intervals of increased humidity, such as between around 10.86 and 6.4 Ma, when the Tiliviche Palaeolake existed before turning into a salar sometime before the Middle Pliocene. The long history of aridity raises the possibility that supergene mineralisation , under the appropriate conditions, can form in arid environments, instead of requiring humid conditions. The presence of evaporite formations suggests that in some sections of
7182-485: The Andes are included. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the world, and the second driest overall, behind some specific spots within the McMurdo Dry Valleys . It is the only true desert to receive less precipitation than polar deserts , and the largest fog desert in the world. The area has been used as an experimentation site for Mars expedition simulations due to its similarities to
7308-661: The Atacama Crossing has the competitors cross the various landscapes of the Atacama. Spanish language Spanish ( español ) or Castilian ( castellano ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe . Today, it is a global language with about 500 million native speakers, mainly in
7434-426: The Atacama Desert and includes the deserts south of the Ica Region in Peru. However, other sources consider that the part of the desert in Peru is a different ecosystem, and should properly be named as Pampas de la Joya desert. Peru borders it on the north and the Chilean Matorral ecoregion borders it on the south.To the east lies the less arid Central Andean dry Puna ecoregion. The drier portion of this ecoregion
7560-401: The Atacama Desert limits the number of animals living permanently in this extreme ecosystem. Some parts of the desert are so arid, no plant or animal life can survive. Outside of these extreme areas, sand-colored grasshoppers blend with pebbles on the desert floor, and beetles and their larvae provide a valuable food source in the lomas (hills). Desert wasps and butterflies can be found during
7686-501: The Atacama Desert, arid conditions have persisted for the last 200 million years (since the Triassic ). Aridity in Atacama Desert predates the rise of the Central Andes, yet hyper-aridity is generally thought to have resulted from the rise of the Andes. As such it is hypothesised it had climatic conditions akin to the Namib Desert prior to the rise of the mountains. The Atacama is so arid that many mountains higher than 6,000 m (20,000 ft) are completely free of glaciers . Only
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#17327647426187812-434: The Atlantic Ocean, creating a two-sided rain shadow effect. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature , the Atacama Desert ecoregion occupies a continuous strip for nearly 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) along the narrow coast of the northern third of Chile , from near Arica (18°24′S) southward to near La Serena (29°55′S). The National Geographic Society considers the coastal area of southern Peru to be part of
7938-455: The British community ( La Colonia Britanica ) erected a clock tower, replicating Big Ben , in Plaza Colón to celebrate the republic's centenary. In 1956, the Universidad del Norte (now the Catholic University of the North ) was founded, due to support from the Catholic University of Valparaíso . On 9 October, of the same year began the negotiations for the creation of the "Centro Universitario Zona Norte" (University Center North Zone), part of
8064-412: The Chilean Coast Range) of sufficient height to prevent moisture advection from either the Pacific or the Atlantic Oceans, a two-sided rain shadow. Despite modern views of the Atacama Desert as fully devoid of vegetation, in pre-Columbian and colonial times a large flatland area there known as Pampa del Tamarugal was a woodland , but demand for firewood associated with silver and saltpeter mining in
8190-471: The Chilean occupation of Antofagasta, on 14 February 1879. According to the Chilean version of events, the tax of 10 cents violated the treaty of 1874 since according to this, new taxes should not have been imposed on Chilean companies operating in Bolivia. At the breaking of the boundary treaty by Bolivia, and the cancellation of the contract of the CSFA, Chile seized Antofagasta, then in Bolivian territory, whose sovereignty had been ratified before 1866. After
8316-428: The Chilean state. Miners and mining companies came into conflict, and protests spread throughout the region. Around 1900, there were irrigation system of puquios spread through the oases of Atacama Desert. Puquios are known from the valleys of Azapa and Sibaya and the oases of La Calera , Pica - Matilla and Puquio de Núñez . In 1918, geologist Juan Brüggen mentioned the existence of 23 socavones (shafts) in
8442-523: The Equatoguinean education system and is the primary language used in government and business. Whereas it is not the mother tongue of virtually any of its speakers, the vast majority of the population is proficient in Spanish. The Instituto Cervantes estimates that 87.7% of the population is fluent in Spanish. The proportion of proficient Spanish speakers in Equatorial Guinea exceeds the proportion of proficient speakers in other West and Central African nations of their respective colonial languages. Spanish
8568-577: The Iberian Peninsula. These languages included Proto-Basque , Iberian , Lusitanian , Celtiberian and Gallaecian . The first documents to show traces of what is today regarded as the precursor of modern Spanish are from the 9th century. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era , the most important influences on the Spanish lexicon came from neighboring Romance languages — Mozarabic ( Andalusi Romance ), Navarro-Aragonese , Leonese , Catalan/Valencian , Portuguese , Galician , Occitan , and later, French and Italian . Spanish also borrowed
8694-413: The Martian environment. The constant temperature inversion caused by the cool north-flowing Humboldt ocean current and the strong Pacific anticyclone contribute to the extreme aridity of the desert. The most arid region of the Atacama Desert is situated between two mountain chains, the Andes and the Chilean Coast Range , which are high enough to prevent moisture advection from either the Pacific or
8820-424: The Old Spanish sibilants) for details. The Gramática de la lengua castellana , written in Salamanca in 1492 by Elio Antonio de Nebrija , was the first grammar written for a modern European language. According to a popular anecdote, when Nebrija presented it to Queen Isabella I , she asked him what was the use of such a work, and he answered that language is the instrument of empire. In his introduction to
8946-414: The Pacific (1879–83). Chilean sovereignty was officially recognised by Bolivia under the terms of the 1904 Treaty of Peace and Friendship . The city of Antofagasta is closely linked to mining activity, being a port and the chief service hub for one of Chile's major mining areas. While silver and saltpeter mining have been historically important for Antofagasta, since the mid-19th century copper mining
9072-454: The Pica oasis, yet these have since been abandoned due to economic and social changes. The desert has rich deposits of copper and other minerals and the world's largest natural supply of sodium nitrate (Chile saltpeter), which was mined on a large scale until the early 1940s. The Atacama border dispute over these resources between Chile and Bolivia began in the 19th century and resulted in
9198-505: The Planets . In 2003, a team of researchers published a report in which they duplicated the tests used by the Viking 1 and Viking 2 Mars landers to detect life and were unable to detect any signs in Atacama Desert soil in the region of Yungay. The region may be unique on Earth in this regard and is being used by NASA to test instruments for future Mars missions. The team duplicated
9324-589: The Royal Spanish Academy) states that, although the Royal Spanish Academy prefers to use the term español in its publications when referring to the Spanish language, both terms— español and castellano —are regarded as synonymous and equally valid. The term castellano is related to Castile ( Castilla or archaically Castiella ), the kingdom where the language was originally spoken. The name Castile , in turn,
9450-502: The U.S. population were of Hispanic or Hispanic American by origin. In turn, 41.8 million people in the United States aged five or older speak Spanish at home, or about 13% of the population. Spanish predominates in the unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico , where it is also an official language along with English. Spanish is by far the most common second language in the country, with over 50 million total speakers if non-native or second-language speakers are included. While English
9576-520: The Viking tests in Mars-like Earth environments and found that they missed present signs of life in soil samples from Antarctic dry valleys , the Atacama Desert of Chile and Peru, and other locales. However, in 2014, a new hyperarid site was reported, María Elena South, which was much drier than Yungay and, thus, a better Mars-like environment. Towards Atacama, near the deserted coast, you see
9702-457: The administration of Ferdinand Marcos two months later. It remained an official language until the ratification of the present constitution in 1987, in which it was re-designated as a voluntary and optional auxiliary language. Additionally, the constitution, in its Article XIV, stipulates that the Government shall provide the people of the Philippines with a Spanish-language translation of
9828-479: The altiplano winter brought floods to San Pedro de Atacama . On 25 March 2015, heavy rainfall affected the southern part of the Atacama Desert. Resulting floods triggered mudflows that affected the cities of Copiapo , Tierra Amarilla , Chanaral , and Diego de Almagro , causing the deaths of more than 100 people. In spite of the geographic and climatic conditions of the desert, a rich variety of flora has evolved there. Over 500 species have been gathered within
9954-542: The award of the concession of nitrate lands, following a request taken to the Bolivian government . The exploring of the Chilean miners found rich deposits of saltpeter ( nitratine ) in the field of Salar del Carmen , to the east of the present Antofagasta. Agreed to form the " Sociedad Exploradora del Desierto de Atacama " (Explorer Society of Atacama Desert). After the formation of the company, began to fill with what
10080-513: The body of "Municipal Agents", composed of two Germans, one Englishman and six Chileans. On 27 November 1873, the "Compañía de Salitres y Ferrocarril de Antofagasta" (CSFA), a Chilean mining company, signed a contract with the government of Bolivia, in which taxes were removed from mineral exploitation for 15 years. This contract was not ratified by the Congress of Bolivia, which was then analyzed negotiations with Chile. In 1873, Bolivia signed
10206-412: The border of this desert. These species are characterized by their extraordinary ability to adapt to this extreme environment. The most common species are herbs and flowers such as thyme , llareta , and saltgrass ( Distichlis spicata ), and where humidity is sufficient, trees such as the chañar ( Geoffroea decorticans ), the pimiento tree, and the leafy algarrobo ( Prosopis chilensis ). The llareta
10332-408: The city large supermarket chains like " Líder ", "Tottus", "Unimarc", "Santa Isabel" and "Jumbo" are set up. In 2006, the national chain "Mall Plaza" was built in the coastal area and the "Casino Enjoy Antofagasta" was built in the south of the city. Because of the important administrative position of Antofagasta in the region, the historical relationship with the mining sector, and the production of
10458-409: The city, make it susceptible to be affected by mud flows and landslides. Between 1916 and 1999, the city was affected by floods or landslides on seven occasions: 1925, 1930, twice in 1940, 1982, 1987 and 1991 , of which the most important episodes in 1940 and 1991. There are about fifteen streams that have watersheds with accumulation of sand and gravel. Within the broader watershed ( hoya ) are
10584-486: The city, natural beaches extend to the areas of "La Portada", "Las Losetas" and "La Rinconada". Within the water resources of the commune, there are different dry lakes (salar), among which include the Salar de Pajonales, Salar Mar Muerto, Salar Punta Negra and the Salar de Navidad. As a commune , Antofagasta is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council , headed by an alcalde who
10710-684: The classic hispanus or hispanicus took the suffix -one from Vulgar Latin , as happened with other words such as bretón (Breton) or sajón (Saxon). Like the other Romance languages , the Spanish language evolved from Vulgar Latin , which was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans during the Second Punic War , beginning in 210 BC. Several pre-Roman languages (also called Paleohispanic languages )—some distantly related to Latin as Indo-European languages , and some that are not related at all—were previously spoken in
10836-401: The coast, nesting in desert cliffs overlooking the ocean. Inland, high-altitude salt flats are inhabited by Andean flamingos , while Chilean flamingos can be seen along the coast. Other birds (including species of hummingbirds and rufous-collared sparrow ) visit the lomas seasonally to feed on insects, nectar, seeds, and flowers. The lomas help sustain several threatened species, such as
10962-500: The commune, 295,792 (99.6%) lived in urban areas and 1,113 (0.4%) in rural areas. The population grew by 30.0% (68,497 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. A 2009 population projection by the National Institute of Statistics of Chile estimated the city has an estimated population of 360,473 inhabitants. The city has several public and private educational universities. Two major traditional universities , one that
11088-500: The consonant written b (a bilabial with plosive and fricative allophones). In modern Spanish, there is no difference between the pronunciation of orthographic b and v . Typical of Spanish (as also of neighboring Gascon extending as far north as the Gironde estuary , and found in a small area of Calabria ), attributed by some scholars to a Basque substratum was the mutation of Latin initial f into h- whenever it
11214-463: The contract of 1873 between the government and CSFA was not yet in force, because, according to the Bolivian constitution, all contracts with the Bolivian government had to be approved by the congress. According to the Bolivian version of events, the contract with the saltpeter company was incomplete so the congress, to approve the contract, decided to enforce a tax of 10 cents, which did not violate
11340-404: The country's constitution. In recent years changing attitudes among non-Spanish speaking Filipinos have helped spur a revival of the language, and starting in 2009 Spanish was reintroduced as part of the basic education curriculum in a number of public high schools, becoming the largest foreign language program offered by the public school system, with over 7,000 students studying the language in
11466-656: The desert experiences more than 200 cloudless nights each year. A number of telescopes have been installed to help astronomers from across the globe study the universe. A radio astronomy telescope, called the Atacama Large Millimeter Array , built by European countries, Japan , the United States , Canada , and Chile in the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory officially opened on 3 October 2011. A number of radio astronomy projects, such as
11592-417: The desert, and cities along the coast developed into international ports, hosting many Chilean workers who migrated there. With the guano and saltpeter booms of the 19th century, the population grew immensely, mostly as a result of immigration from central Chile. In the 20th century, the nitrate industry declined and at the same time, the largely male population of the desert became increasingly problematic for
11718-465: The desert. Because of the dry conditions, they do not decompose at the normal rate, and fires have exposed nearby residents to air pollution. Because of its high altitude, nearly nonexistent cloud cover, dry air, and freedom from light pollution and radio interference from widely populated cities and towns, this desert is one of the best places in the world to conduct astronomical observations. Hundreds of thousands of stars can be viewed via telescope since
11844-477: The end of the 18th century, Carlos IV defines the southern border of the Viceroyalty of Peru at the port of Nuestra Señora del Paposo. During the 19th century, the desert came under control of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. With the discovery of sodium nitrate deposits and as a result of Chilean expansion plans, the area soon became a zone of conflict and resulted in the War of the Pacific . Chile annexed most of
11970-478: The endangered Chilean woodstar . Because of the desert's extreme aridity, only a few specially adapted mammal species live in the Atacama, such as Darwin's leaf-eared mouse . The less arid parts of the desert are inhabited by the South American gray fox and the viscacha (a relative of the chinchilla ). Larger animals, such as guanacos and vicuñas , graze in areas where grass grows, mainly because it
12096-683: The following table: Spanish is marked by palatalization of the Latin double consonants ( geminates ) nn and ll (thus Latin annum > Spanish año , and Latin anellum > Spanish anillo ). The consonant written u or v in Latin and pronounced [w] in Classical Latin had probably " fortified " to a bilabial fricative /β/ in Vulgar Latin. In early Spanish (but not in Catalan or Portuguese) it merged with
12222-466: The former British colony of Belize (known until 1973 as British Honduras ) where English is the sole official language, according to the 2022 census, 54% of the total population are able to speak the language. Due to its proximity to Spanish-speaking countries and small existing native Spanish speaking minority, Trinidad and Tobago has implemented Spanish language teaching into its education system. The Trinidadian and Tobagonian government launched
12348-604: The grammar, dated 18 August 1492, Nebrija wrote that "... language was always the companion of empire." From the 16th century onwards, the language was taken to the Spanish-discovered America and the Spanish East Indies via Spanish colonization of America . Miguel de Cervantes , author of Don Quixote , is such a well-known reference in the world that Spanish is often called la lengua de Cervantes ("the language of Cervantes"). In
12474-483: The highest peaks (such as Ojos del Salado , Monte Pissis , and – debatably – Llullaillaco ) have some permanent snow coverage. The southern part of the desert, between 25° and 27°S, may have been glacier-free throughout the Quaternary (including during glaciations ), though permafrost extends down to an altitude of 4,400 m (14,400 ft) and is continuous above 5,600 m (18,400 ft). Studies by
12600-684: The language from the Kingdom of Castile , contrasting it with other languages spoken in Spain such as Galician , Basque , Asturian , Catalan/Valencian , Aragonese , Occitan and other minor languages. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 uses the term castellano to define the official language of the whole of Spain, in contrast to las demás lenguas españolas (lit. "the other Spanish languages "). Article III reads as follows: El castellano es la lengua española oficial del Estado. ... Las demás lenguas españolas serán también oficiales en las respectivas Comunidades Autónomas... Castilian
12726-549: The language's hegemony in an intensely centralising Spanish state were established from the 18th century onward. Other European territories in which it is also widely spoken include Gibraltar and Andorra . Spanish is also spoken by immigrant communities in other European countries, such as the United Kingdom , France , Italy , and Germany . Spanish is an official language of the European Union . Today,
12852-603: The location of the most advanced pre-Columbian societies found in Chile. The Chinchorro culture developed in the Atacama Desert area from 7000 BCE to 1500 BCE. These peoples were sedentary fishermen inhabiting mostly coastal areas. Their presence is found from today's towns of Ilo , in southern Peru, to Antofagasta in northern Chile. Presence of fresh water in the arid region on the coast facilitated human settlement in these areas. The Chinchorro were famous for their detailed mummification and funerary practices. San Pedro de Atacama , at about 2,400 m (8,000 ft) elevation,
12978-694: The majority of the Spanish speakers live in Hispanic America . Nationally, Spanish is the official language—either de facto or de jure —of Argentina , Bolivia (co-official with 36 indigenous languages), Chile , Colombia , Costa Rica , Cuba , Dominican Republic , Ecuador , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Mexico (co-official with 63 indigenous languages), Nicaragua , Panama , Paraguay (co-official with Guaraní ), Peru (co-official with Quechua , Aymara , and "the other indigenous languages"), Puerto Rico (co-official with English), Uruguay , and Venezuela . Spanish language has
13104-496: The monotony of the desert and is located in the coastal plains, south of Mejillones Peninsula and north of " Cerro Coloso ". The Tropic of Capricorn passes in the north of the city, outside the urban area, which is located the Cerro Moreno International Airport . The Tropic of Capricorn Monument was opened on 21 December 2000 in celebration of this. Designed by the architect Eleonora Roman, it
13230-734: The northwest of the African mainland. The Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands traces its origins back to the Castilian conquest in the 15th century , and, in addition to a resemblance to Western Andalusian speech patterns, it also features strong influence from the Spanish varieties spoken in the Americas, which in turn have also been influenced historically by Canarian Spanish. The Spanish spoken in North Africa by native bilingual speakers of Arabic or Berber who also speak Spanish as
13356-552: The oldest desert on earth, and has experienced hyper aridity since at least the Middle Miocene , since the establishment of a proto-Humboldt current in conjunction with the opening of the Tasmania-Antarctic passage ca. 33 Ma . The opening of the Tasmania-Antarctic passage allowed for cold currents to move along the west coast of South America, which influenced the availability of warm humid air to travel from
13482-538: The planet Mars during earlier Martian times. The almost total lack of precipitation is the most prominent characteristic of the Atacama Desert. The Atacama Desert is commonly known as the driest place in the world, especially the surroundings of the abandoned Yungay mining town, where the University of Antofagasta Desert Research Station is located, in Antofagasta Region , Chile. The average rainfall
13608-481: The population. Many northern Moroccans have rudimentary knowledge of Spanish, with Spanish being particularly significant in areas adjacent to Ceuta and Melilla. Spanish also has a presence in the education system of the country (through either selected education centers implementing Spain's education system, primarily located in the North, or the availability of Spanish as foreign language subject in secondary education). In Western Sahara , formerly Spanish Sahara ,
13734-476: The southern portion of the desert. The European Southern Observatory operates three major observatories in the Atacama and is currently building a fourth: The Atacama Desert is popular with all-terrain sports enthusiasts. Various championships have taken place here, including the Lower Atacama Rally, Lower Chile Rally, Patagonia-Atacama Rally, and the latter Dakar Rally 's editions. The rally
13860-537: The term español (Spanish). According to the Royal Spanish Academy, español derives from the Occitan word espaignol and that, in turn, derives from the Vulgar Latin * hispaniolus ('of Hispania'). Hispania was the Roman name for the entire Iberian Peninsula . There are other hypotheses apart from the one suggested by the Royal Spanish Academy. Spanish philologist Ramón Menéndez Pidal suggested that
13986-444: The theories of Ramón Menéndez Pidal , local sociolects of Vulgar Latin evolved into Spanish, in the north of Iberia, in an area centered in the city of Burgos , and this dialect was later brought to the city of Toledo , where the written standard of Spanish was first developed, in the 13th century. In this formative stage, Spanish developed a strongly differing variant from its close cousin, Leonese , and, according to some authors,
14112-768: The third most used language on the Internet , after English and Chinese. Spanish is the official language of Spain . Upon the emergence of the Castilian Crown as the dominant power in the Iberian Peninsula by the end of the Middle Ages, the Romance vernacular associated with this polity became increasingly used in instances of prestige and influence, and the distinction between "Castilian" and "Spanish" started to become blurred. Hard policies imposing
14238-430: The treaty of 1874 , since the contract was not yet in force at that date. Bolivia suspended the tax in deference to the government of Chile, but following a note from the Chilean foreign minister, it reactivated the tax law, then cancelled and closed the "Compañía de Salitres". Faced with a looming conflict with Chile, Bolivia decided to claim support under the agreement signed with Peru, and the treaty became effective with
14364-466: The war, a pact of truce was signed between Bolivia and Chile in 1884, which stated that the territory between the Loa River and parallel 23 would be under the administration of Chile, while Bolivia would be allowed access to the ports of Arica and Antofagasta. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Chile and Bolivia , signed on 20 October 1904, and promulgated on 21 March 1905, established in perpetuity border between Chile and Bolivia. In 1912,
14490-457: The warm and humid season, especially on the lomas. Red scorpions also live in the desert. A unique environment is provided by some lomas , where the fog from the ocean provides enough moisture for seasonal plants and a few animal species. Surprisingly few reptile species inhabit the desert and even fewer amphibian species. Chaunus atacamensis , the Vallenar toad or Atacama toad, lives on
14616-578: The warmest month, January, is 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) while the average daily high temperature is 23.2 °C (73.8 °F). The coldest month, July, sees an average low temperature of 11.8 °C (53.2 °F) and an average high temperature of 16.5 °C (61.7 °F). The highest temperature recorded is 30.0 °C (86.0 °F) in January 1998 and the lowest recorded is 3.0 °C (37.4 °F) in September 1978. The Atacama Desert coast
14742-596: The world's most widely spoken Romance language. The country with the largest population of native speakers is Mexico . Spanish is part of the Ibero-Romance language group , in which the language is also known as Castilian ( castellano ). The group evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin in Iberia after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. The oldest Latin texts with traces of Spanish come from mid-northern Iberia in
14868-609: The world. This important trade fair generated a portfolio of U.S. $ 41,291 million (63.48% world total), for the period 2007–2015. In 2024, Antofagasta is the fifth most expensive city in Chile as to cost of living. Santiago, Punta Arenas, Puerto Varas and San Antonio have a higher cost of living. According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute , Antofagasta had 296,905 inhabitants spread over an area of 30,718 km (11,860 sq mi), of which 143,685 are women and 153,220 were men. In
14994-531: Was awarded the installation of the Casino Enjoy Antofagasta . In the municipal elections of 2008, the first female mayor of the city, Dra. Marcela Hernando, was elected, who retired from her political party to run as an independent. This allowed her to have diverse support from all sectors of the population of Antofagasta. The city has an average elevation of 40 m (131 ft). The urban area of Antofagasta begins abruptly, breaking
15120-604: Was called " La Chimba ". After the tsunami in Iquique and the [ On 8 May 1872, Antofagasta was designated by the Bolivian Government as Puerto Mayor , opening trade worldwide. Next year, on 25 January 1872, following a session led by the prefect of the Provincial Department of Mejillones , Manuel Buitrago founded the Municipality of Antofagasta under Bolivian Law of Municipalities, which formed
15246-630: Was created to point the Tropic of Capricorn and to work as a Solar Calendar. Antofagasta was declared a partial common in the border area 20 July 1999, by Supreme Decree No. 1166 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . The city has little vegetation because it is situated in the Atacama Desert , which is the world's driest nonpolar desert. However, among the vegetated areas are a series of urban wetlands . Native reptiles, arthropods , birds like
15372-634: Was developed in the cities of Toledo , in the 13th to 16th centuries, and Madrid , from the 1570s. The development of the Spanish sound system from that of Vulgar Latin exhibits most of the changes that are typical of Western Romance languages , including lenition of intervocalic consonants (thus Latin vīta > Spanish vida ). The diphthongization of Latin stressed short e and o —which occurred in open syllables in French and Italian, but not at all in Catalan or Portuguese—is found in both open and closed syllables in Spanish, as shown in
15498-622: Was distinguished by a heavy Basque influence (see Iberian Romance languages ). This distinctive dialect spread to southern Spain with the advance of the Reconquista , and meanwhile gathered a sizable lexical influence from the Arabic of Al-Andalus , much of it indirectly, through the Romance Mozarabic dialects (some 4,000 Arabic -derived words, make up around 8% of the language today). The written standard for this new language
15624-713: Was followed by a vowel that did not diphthongize. The h- , still preserved in spelling, is now silent in most varieties of the language, although in some Andalusian and Caribbean dialects, it is still aspirated in some words. Because of borrowings from Latin and neighboring Romance languages, there are many f -/ h - doublets in modern Spanish: Fernando and Hernando (both Spanish for "Ferdinand"), ferrero and herrero (both Spanish for "smith"), fierro and hierro (both Spanish for "iron"), and fondo and hondo (both words pertaining to depth in Spanish, though fondo means "bottom", while hondo means "deep"); additionally, hacer ("to make")
15750-628: Was organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation and held in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The dunes of the desert are ideal rally races located in the outskirts of the city of Copiapó. The 2013 Dakar 15-Day Rally started on 5 January in Lima, Peru, through Chile, Argentina and back to Chile finishing in Santiago. Visitors also use the Atacama Desert sand dunes for sandboarding ( Spanish : duna ). A week-long foot race called
15876-462: Was revoked by Michel Temer after the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff . In many border towns and villages along Paraguay and Uruguay, a mixed language known as Portuñol is spoken. Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish-speaking country located entirely in Africa, with the language introduced during the Spanish colonial period . Enshrined in the constitution as an official language (alongside French and Portuguese), Spanish features prominently in
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