The Port of Arica is on the Pacific coast of northern Chile only 18 kilometers south of the country’s border with Peru. Lying at the base of the cliffs of El Morro, the sand dunes of the Atacama Desert fringe the south part of the city. Arica receives produce from the nearby irrigated farms of the Azapa and Rio Lluta valleys, and it exports the citrus fruit and olives they raise. The Port of Arica is an important transportation hub for the region. Located on the Pan-American Highway, it has an international airport and rail connections to La Paz, Bolivia, and Tacna, Peru. In 2002, over 175 thousand people called Arica home.

Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have inhabited the site of the Port of Arica for more than ten thousand years before Europeans arrived. Captain Lucas Martinez de Begazo from Spain founded a city there in 1541, and from 1545, it was used as a port for exporting silver from Potosi. In 1570, it received the name of the “Very Illustrious and Royal City of San Marcos of Arica” (La Muy Ilustre y Real Ciudad San Marcos de Arica).

Until 1879 when the Chileans captured the city during the War of the Pacific, the Port of Arica belonged to Peru. The Battle of Arica is one of the most famous of the war, with hundreds of Peruvian and Chilean casualties in a matter of hours. The Port of Arica’s status remained at issue until 1929 when it was formally incorporated into Chile. The Port of Arica was destroyed by a tsunami following a large earthquake in 1868 off the coast in the Peru-Chile Trench.

Until the middle of the 1900s, the Port of Arica was a free port handling much trade for Bolivia. While it is still a free port for the country of Bolivia, it is a commercial center for northern Chile and Peru. It is the end point for an oil pipeline from Oruro, Bolivia, and the home of several industries, including fish meal processors. In 1962, Arica was one of the host cities for the soccer World Cup, and it was the site of the Rip Curl Pro Search surfing competition in 2007.

The Port of Arica is administered by an independent company of the State of Chile, called Compania Portuaria Arica, that was established by law in 1998. The company replaced the earlier Portuaria Compania de Chile with the mission of decentralizing port management, promoting competition, and opening the port to the private sector. The law calls for private development at the port, and in 2004, the Terminal Puerto Arica SA was formed.

Wharves in the inner areas of the Port of Arica are complemented by over 185 thousand square meters of paved surface and more than 27 thousand square meters of warehouses. The Port of Arica has capacity to transfer over 3.9 million tons of cargo.

The northern sector in the Port of Arica contains the port’s fishing sector and a wharf of 177 meters with alongside depth of 3 meters. The wharf serves feluccas, schooners, and fisheries. The terminal area of the fishing wharf covers almost 14 thousand square meters and includes areas for restaurants and stations for the sale of fish.

The Port of Arica’s north sector also houses a network of rails and space leased to small and medium industries. Covering over 61 thousand square meters, this area is also dedicated to the development of new businesses.

Outside the immediate Port of Arica properties is the Parque Industrial Puerta America, an industrial park covering 214 thousand square meters with electrical, water, and sewer services. The park is connected by rail to La Paz, Bolivia.

The Port of Arica also has an additional two thousand square meter passenger terminal.

In 2007, the Port of Arica handled over one million tons of containerized cargo (in more than 87 thousand TEUs), over 69 thousand tons of loose cargo, and over 431 thousand tons of bulk cargo carried by 257 vessels. Of the total of 1.5 million tons of cargo passing through the Port of Arica, 1.1 million tons was transshipments, 159 thousand tons was exports, and 114 thousand tons was imports.

The City of Arica (Spanish) is a safe, quiet, relaxed sunny seaside resort town with several beautiful beaches. Called by some the “city of eternal spring,” it is a gateway to both Bolivia and Peru. Visitors will want to check out these sights.

El Morro, a high cliff at the end of the mountain range, offers breathtaking panoramic views of the city and the Port of Arica. Bring your own water and snacks, and allow for a ten minute walk. Aside from the magnificent views, you will find a war museum with cannons and uniforms from the 1800s. The San Miguel de Azapa Archaeological Museum (Spanish) houses more than 20 thousand artifacts and information about the area’s 10-thousand-year history. When the weather is right, you can find petroglyphs from the times of fishers and hunters.

The Cathedral San Marcos de Arica was built in the early 1870s. Designed by Gustavo Eiffel, it replaced the church that was destroyed in the 1868 earthquake.

For outdoor adventures, the Port of Arica offers miles of beautiful beaches where you will want to lie in the sun (the water is cold). Surfers love the beaches of the Port of Arica. Beginners use the waters north of town, and seasoned surfers go south of El Morro.

The nearby valleys of Azapa and Rio Lluta are home to many beautiful olive tree plantations. The Olive Route includes visits to bodegas where olives are seasoned, and you can learn about how olive oil is made. Local museums offer insight into the local Aymara culture.