Ilo is a
port||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and/or transferring cargo. It is usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake. The best ports have deep water in channels or berths, and protection from the wind and waves...
city in southern
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
. It is the largest city in the
Moquegua RegionMoquegua is a small department in southern Peru that extends from the coast to the highlands. The region's name is of Quechua origin and means "quiet place". The regional capital is the city of Moquegua, but the port city of Ilo is more commercially active....
and is the capital of the
Ilo ProvinceThe Ilo Province is one of three provinces that make up the Moquegua Region in Peru. The province is the largest mining center in all of the southern Peru area.-Geography:...
.
Puerto Ilo is a small port town (70,000 pop.) on the very southern coast of Peru. Before the arrival of the
Spanish in the mid 16th, the area was populated by the
Chiribaya people . The
Conquistadores were given land grants by
Charles V and brought olives to this area.
Ilo is a
port||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-|}A port is a facility for receiving ships and/or transferring cargo. It is usually found at the edge of an ocean, sea, river, or lake. The best ports have deep water in channels or berths, and protection from the wind and waves...
city in southern
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
. It is the largest city in the
Moquegua RegionMoquegua is a small department in southern Peru that extends from the coast to the highlands. The region's name is of Quechua origin and means "quiet place". The regional capital is the city of Moquegua, but the port city of Ilo is more commercially active....
and is the capital of the
Ilo ProvinceThe Ilo Province is one of three provinces that make up the Moquegua Region in Peru. The province is the largest mining center in all of the southern Peru area.-Geography:...
.
History
Puerto Ilo is a small port town (70,000 pop.) on the very southern coast of Peru. Before the arrival of the
Spanish in the mid 16th, the area was populated by the
Chiribaya people . The
Conquistadores were given land grants by
Charles V and brought olives to this area. Olive agriculture was the main crop and source of work until the early 20th. century. A small settlement,
Pacocha, was established by the seashore where
Rio Osmore flows into the Pacific ocean. High tides in late 19th. century flooded
Pacocha and the population moved to Ilo's current location and took its present name. Until the beginning of the 20th. century most of the people lived along the banks of the Rio Osmore, whose waters flow sporadically during the summer months. Ilo was a of port of call to the ships traveling from the east to the west coast of the United States via
Tierra del Fuego; after the building of its pier in the 1800s, world commerce was increased. Italians, Chinese, Japanese, Germans settled in Ilo during this time. This international trade came to a stop with the building of the Transcontinental rail road and the Panama Canal. All that remained were steamships transporting commerce between Peruvian and Chilean ports.
Along with its
Pier, a railroad was built to connect Ilo to Moquegua. The railroad took the name of Calamazo (Spanish pronunciation of Kalamazoo, Mi. from the name stamped on the equipment used by the railroad.) The original industries of the city include fishing and mining. Copper mines originally owned by the Southern Peru Copper Corporation (SPCC) provided many jobs to the region. SPCC was established by the American Smelting and Mining Corporation in the middle of the 20th century. Many Americans and Peruvians working for SPCC live in an area of Ilo called Ciudad Nueva. A copper smelter plant that was once owned by SPCC is located within 10 kilometers of the city, and has contributed to a large amount of air and water pollution in Ilo. Local swimming areas include Poso de Lisas and Puerto Ingles. Temperatures in Ilo range between 18 and 28 degrees Celsius year round. Rain is almost non existent, as Ilo is located north of the Atacama desert, one of the driest coastal deserts in the world. The country of Bolivia has in the past utilized Ilo to conduct trade, giving them access ocean shipping.
The
Battle of PacochaThe naval Incident of Pacocha took place on 6 May 1877 when Nicolas de Pierola was leading a revolution to overthrow then Peruvian President Mariano Ignacio Prado. Piérola used the Peruvian monitor Huáscar as a raiding ship. She practiced sabotage primarily against the government forces of Peru...
took place near Ilo.
Main attractions
The main attraction is the Urban Center whose landmarks are:
- St. Jerome's temple, built in 1871
- Glorieta José Gálvez, built in 1915
- State Pier, built at the end of 19th century
- Punta Coles
Ilo has one of the largest copper smelters in the country. It also has a formerly state owned copper refinery. Both of these businesses are located at a distance from the urban center. These businesses have been known to affect the fish populations and the water. Ilo's industry appeared in the movie
The CorporationThe Corporation is a 2003 Canadian documentary film written by Joel Bakan, and directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. The documentary is critical of the modern-day corporation, considering it as a class of person and evaluating its behaviour towards society and the world at large as a...
as an example of environmental exploitation for profit.
Museums
- Peruvian Navy
The Peruvian Navy is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to 200 nautical miles from the Peruvian littoral...
Museum.
- "El Algarrobal" Museum.