Iquique
Iquique is a port city and commune in northern Chile, capital of both the Iquique Province and Tarapacá Region. It lies on the Pacific coast, west of the Pampa del Tamarugal, which is part of the Atacama Desert. Its name comes from the Aymara language: "Iki Iki," meaning "land of dreams." It has a population of 199,587 according to the 2024 census. It is also the main commune of Greater Iquique. The city developed during the heyday of the saltpetre mining in the Atacama Desert in the 19th century. Once a Peruvian city with a large Chilean population, it was conquered by Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879–1883). Today it is one of only two free ports of Chile, the other one being Punta Arenas, in the country's far south.
- Country
- 🇨🇱 Chile
- Elevation
- 13 m
- Population
- 199,587
- Time zone
- America/Santiago
- Coordinates
- -20.21, -70.15
How far Iquique is from other cities in Chile
- Arica194 km✈ 59 min · 🚗 3 h 14 min
- Antofagasta383 km✈ 1 h 13 min · 🚗 6 h 23 min
- La Serena1,083 km✈ 2 h 4 min · 🚗 18 h 3 min
- Viña del Mar1,431 km✈ 2 h 30 min · 🚗 23 h 51 min
- Valparaíso1,433 km✈ 2 h 30 min · 🚗 23 h 53 min
- Santiago1,473 km✈ 2 h 33 min · 🚗 24 h 33 min
- Peñalolén1,474 km✈ 2 h 33 min · 🚗 24 h 34 min
- Maipú1,480 km✈ 2 h 33 min · 🚗 24 h 40 min
Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · Data from GeoNames, Open-Meteo.