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Tocopilla
Tocopilla is a city and commune in the Antofagasta Region, in the north of Chile. It is the capital of the province that bears the same name.
Tocopilla means "el rincon del diablo" ("the devil's corner"). Despite this it's also stated that their old names were others, like "Caleta Duendes"(Goblin's Cove) or "Quebrada Honda". (Deep Ravine).
The symbol of Tocopilla is "La piedra del camello" (The stone of the camel), a stone that looks a lot like a camel. Another remarkable places are "La piedra del paragua"(Umbrella Stone), "La piedra del elefante"(Elephant Stone), and Caleta Boy (Boy's Cove), an artificial pool.
Tocopilla celebrates its anniversary on September 29th every year with a big show the day before which includes a parade down the main street of the city, food and a huge fireworks display at midnight.
This city gives electricity to the entire II Region, for this Tocopilla is also known as "The city of the energy". Back in the days when saltpeter exportation in Chile was in its highest point, this port was the number one of its exploitation. Nowadays, even when the saltpeter isn't so profitable Tocopilla still holds companies dedicated to its extraction. The sea of Tocopilla contains a large amount of fish species and it is considered excellent to practice naval sports, as well.
The city is divided into two main parts consisting of the central city and smaller portion known as "La Villa Sur". The two parts are divided by the thermoelectric power plant and a large salt peter processing and shipping plant, but the coastal highway connects the two portions. In La Villa Sur larger, more luxurious homes are to be found, typically belonging to the more affluent members of the small city's society.
The larger northern portion of Tocopilla is home to the municipal buildings, the central plaza, and a large number of locally owned stores and shops. The steep grade of the city from beach to vertical hillside is covered in houses and apartments crammed together to save space. A large artificial beach is the main attraction during summer months and serves as the perfect place to get away from the bone dry scalding heat of the Atacama, although on the North side of the city there is a black sand beach.
Tocopilla is also the birthplace of renowned artist Alejandro Jodorowsky and a promising football star Alexis Sanchez.
2007 earthquake
On 14 November 2007, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred 40 km east-southeast of Tocopilla, followed by aftershocks of magnitude up to 6.8. As a consequence, 1,200 homes have been destroyed in Tocopilla, leaving 4,000 of its 27,000 inhabitants homeless. There have been two casualties, and at least 115 were injured. Despite government's efforts to provide immediate help, there were some problems with the delivery of food in the first 2 days. Those were later resolved and a larger plan of cleaning and reconstruction started.
Economy
Its position along the coastside allow it to have an active fishing activity, that along with the mining activity are the main resources. It is a fishing port, with fishmeal and canned fish factories. Through its port the copper from Chuquicamata and saltpeter from El Toco are exported. Tocopilla has metalurgic, chemical and nitrate treatment industries, along with the power plant. Due to these activities, Tocopilla is a dormitory city, since many people work outside the city.
Tocopilla is located in the middle of thre big development poles: Iquique, Antofagasta and Calama. For long time there was a project to transform Barriles into an industrial area, trying to concentrate all factories and industries that are adjacent to the city; especially those located further away in Maria Elena and Pedro de Valdivia Offices, but so far there is a lack of interest to move to a place so far from urban areas.
New Year's Eve Traditions
As part of the new year's celebrations, people along the city celebrates the rite of purification by burning the bad things from old year to have a better year. It has become a typical tradition, where true artpieces are burnt at midnight, supported by the City Hall.
Sports
In Tocopilla, the most successful sport has been Baseball, being the city with the oldest references to this sport in Chile. Communal teams have won more than half the National Championships from the Chilean Baseball Federation, some of them consecutively.
Other two important sports are Voleyball, with relative success at school and federated level and soccer with a number of players that have gone to bigger clubs.
External links
http://www.tocopillaonline.cl
http://www.prensatocopilla.cl
http://www.elpolemico.org
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Tocopilla
