Arica: A Desert Frontier in Transition

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“…33 In addition to this, the region is so barren there are "weather stations that have never recorded rainfall," and "includes a desert more barren than the Sahara. 34 As result, these geographical obstacles left the area with minimal infrastructure, and limited agricultural resources and ultimately necessitated large public work projects to ensure "a supply of consumer goods for the population of the Norte Grande, a desert region in which agricultural development was almost nonexistent."…”

An elephant in the planning room: Political demography and its influence on sustainable land-use planning in drylands

“…Chile's Atacama Corridor, between the Pacific Ocean on the west and Bolivia on the east, was ceded to Chile from Bolivia in 1884 following the "War of the Pacific" of 1879e1884, fought between Chile, Peru and Bolivia in part over access to nitrates (Jane, 1929;Fifer, 1964). Throughout the 19th century, the region was sparsely populated, with less than 3000 people at the time of the war (Fifer, 1964).…”

“…Throughout the 19th century, the region was sparsely populated, with less than 3000 people at the time of the war (Fifer, 1964). Following the war, efforts to draw permanent boundaries between Peru and Chile were postponed for over a decade, while "Chile made determined efforts to increase the numbers of its own nationals at the expense of the Peruvians" (Fifer, 1964), what was called "the actual or perceived Chileanisation" of the region (Jane, 1929).…”

“…Throughout the 19th century, the region was sparsely populated, with less than 3000 people at the time of the war (Fifer, 1964). Following the war, efforts to draw permanent boundaries between Peru and Chile were postponed for over a decade, while "Chile made determined efforts to increase the numbers of its own nationals at the expense of the Peruvians" (Fifer, 1964), what was called "the actual or perceived Chileanisation" of the region (Jane, 1929). The conflict over sovereignty of two small towns was submitted to the United States for arbitration which eventually led to an agreement to divide the region between Chile and Peru, and which did not even mention Bolivia and its territorial ambitions (Jane, 1929).…”

“…The conflict over sovereignty of two small towns was submitted to the United States for arbitration which eventually led to an agreement to divide the region between Chile and Peru, and which did not even mention Bolivia and its territorial ambitions (Jane, 1929). In 1954, with the local economy highly dependent on moving Bolivian goods, the Chilean government declared Arica a free port, and the move succeeded in rapidly growing the Chilean population of the port town from 23 000 in 1952 to 60 000 in 1963 (Fifer, 1964). Many other centrally planned development projects supplemented the region's development boom.…”