About Arica

Arica is a commune and a port city with a population of 185,269 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica and Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only 18 km (11 mi) south of the border with Peru. The city is the capital of both the Arica Province and the Arica and Parinacota Region. Arica is located at the bend of South America's western coast known as the Arica Bend or Arica Elbow. At the location of the city two lush valleys that dissect the Atacama Desert converge: Azapa and Lluta. These valleys provides fruit for export.

Arica is an important port for a large inland region of South America. The city serves a free port for Bolivia and manages substantial part of that country's trade. In addition it is the end statation of the Bolivian oil pipeline begining in Oruro. The city's strategic position is enhanced by being next to the Pan-American Highway, being conected to both Tacna in Peru and La Paz in Bolivia by railroad and being served by an international airport.

Its mild weather have make Arica known as the "city of the eternal spring" in Chile while its beaches are frequented by Bolivians. The city was an important port already during Spanish colonial rule. Chile acquired the city from Peru in 1883 after the War of the Pacific. A substantial part of African Chileans live in or trace their origins to Arica.

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