Huasco

Huasco
Flag of Huasco
Coat of arms of Huasco
Huasco's urban hinterland
Huasco is located in Chile
Huasco
Huasco
Location in Chile
Coordinates: 28°27′59″S 71°13′09″W / 28.46639°S 71.21917°W / -28.46639; -71.21917
Country Chile
Region Atacama
ProvinceHuasco
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • AlcaldeRodrigo Loyola Morenilla
Area
 • Total1,601.4 km2 (618.3 sq mi)
Elevation
30 m (100 ft)
Population
 (2012 Census)[1]
 • Total8,977
 • Density5.6/km2 (15/sq mi)
 • Urban
6,445
 • Rural
1,500
Sex
 • Men3,999
 • Women3,946
Time zoneUTC−4 (CLT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−3 (CLST)
Area code(+56) 51
ClimateBWh
Websitewww.imhuasco.cl

Huasco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwasko]) is a Chilean city and commune, in the Huasco Province, Atacama Region.

The port city of Huasco is located 50 km west of Vallenar and close to the town of Huasco Bajo, which lies on the southern bank of the Huasco River and only a few kilometers from its mouth. The coastal route between Huasco Bajo and Carrizal Bajo provides one of the two accesses to Llanos de Challe National Park. The port was used between 1851 and 1873 to ship copper ore, copper regulus, alpaca wool and hides round Cape Horn to Swansea, Glamorgan and Wales.

  1. ^ a b c "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2010.