Huasco
Huasco | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 28°27′59″S 71°13′09″W / 28.46639°S 71.21917°W | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Atacama |
| Province | Huasco |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Alcalde | Rodrigo Loyola Morenilla |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,601.4 km2 (618.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 30 m (100 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census) | |
• Total | 8,977 |
| • Density | 5.6/km2 (15/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 6,445 |
| • Rural | 1,500 |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 3,999 |
| • Women | 3,946 |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (CLT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−3 (CLST) |
| Area code | (+56) 51 |
| Climate | BWh |
| Website | www |
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Huasco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwasko]) is a Chilean city and commune, in the Huasco Province, Atacama Region. It is the central town of a mining district dominated by medium-scale mining.
The port city of Huasco is located 50 km west of Vallenar and close to the town of Huasco Bajo, which lies on the southern bank of the Huasco River and only a few kilometers from its mouth. The coastal route between Huasco Bajo and Carrizal Bajo provides one of the two accesses to Llanos de Challe National Park. The port was used between 1851 and 1873 to ship copper ore, copper regulus, alpaca wool and hides round Cape Horn to Swansea, Glamorgan and Wales.