Copiapó

Copiapó lies about 800 kilometres (500 mi) north of Santiago by the Copiapó River, in the valley of the same name. In the early 21st century, the river has dried up in response to climate change and more severe droughts. The town is surrounded by the Atacama Desert and receives 12 mm (½ in) of rain per year. It has 168,831 inhabitants.

Copiapó is in a rich silver and copper mining district, and while it attends large-scale mining operations further afar it is the central town of surrounding medium-scale mining mining district. A bronze statue commemorates Juan Godoy, discoverer of the Chañarcillo silver mines in the 19th century. The Copiapó-Caldera railway line, built in 1850, was the first one in South America. The first section between Caldera and Monte Amargo was inaugurated on 4 July 1850 in honor of the United States Independence Day, as American businessman William Wheelwright was responsible for the project. The original wooden railway station is now a National Monument.