Cobija, Chile
Encyclopedia
Cobija was the first significant Pacific Ocean
port of independent Bolivia
. In 1825, it was the main port of Bolivia due to the Potosí
silver mine.
The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1865, but it was revived with the discovery of ore in Caracoles
. At the end of the War of the Pacific
, the city and the entire coastal province of Bolivia was annexed by Chile
. In a treaty signed in 1904 Bolivia recognised the loss of Cobija.
Eventually, Cobija was replaced by the port at Antofagasta
and in 1907 it was abandoned and its parish was moved to the town of Gatico which is itself now nearly a ruin .
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
port of independent Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. In 1825, it was the main port of Bolivia due to the Potosí
Potosí
Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...
silver mine.
The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1865, but it was revived with the discovery of ore in Caracoles
Caracoles
The Caracol people are an English-based creole speaking people who have been established in Northern Honduras since the early 19th century and are mainly of European British-Caribbean descent...
. At the end of the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
, the city and the entire coastal province of Bolivia was annexed by Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. In a treaty signed in 1904 Bolivia recognised the loss of Cobija.
Eventually, Cobija was replaced by the port at Antofagasta
Antofagasta
Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2002 census, the city has a population of 296,905...
and in 1907 it was abandoned and its parish was moved to the town of Gatico which is itself now nearly a ruin .