El Salvador, Chile
Encyclopedia
El Salvador is a mining
town
in the commune of Diego de Almagro
, Chañaral Province
, Atacama Region
, Chile
. Located at an elevation of more than 2,300 meters in the foothills of the Andes
and in the middle of the Atacama Desert
, it has a population of approximately 7,000 inhabitants. At its peak, El Salvador once had a population of 15,000 inhabitants.
explorations in the 1950s that revealed the presence of ore that could be exploited in an industrial scale. Anaconda Copper Mining Company
was concerned about declining reserves in its Potrerillos mine and it sent prospectors in search of a new Chilean ore body in 1951. Working under the auspices Anaconda's Andes Mining subsidiary, the mineralization was discovered in 1954 and mapped in 1955.
As a remote discovery, Anaconda had to build El Salvador as a self-contained and self-sustaining town. It was complete with housing, schools, stores, water and electrical plants and a railway. The mine opened in 1959.
The architect in charge of designing the city was Mr. Oscar Niemeyer.
The town was designed in the shape of a roman helmet. Legend has it that an executive of Anaconda Mining Company travelled to the proposed town site with his son. The boy had with him his beloved toy; a roman helmet, which he lost in the desert. Years later once the city was built he was flown over the town and his father said “Remember the toy helmet you lost as a young boy, look down son there it is http://elsalvadorchile.com/noticiasver.php?idnota=26
Key dates for the foundation of El Salvador, are: 23 April 1959, on this date the first load of ore was crushed, in less than three months on the 2nd of July, the first bar of Copper arrived in New York.
The town itself was inaugurated on the 28th of November 1959.
In 1971, after nationalization of copper
under the government of Salvador Allende
, Codelco
Chile took over operation of the El Salvador mine.
In 2004, according to official numbers, a total of 74,874 tons metric of fine copper were produced, employing 1,727 people. Nevertheless, since 2001, and in spite of sustained increases in the international price of copper, the mine has experienced losses of more than 3.4 million dollars. In addition, a study by the Australian consultant Goldberg
, determined that only 243 million tons of copper remain in the mine, which assures mineral for only a few years. On July 29, 2005 Codelco announced the planned closure of the mine beginning in 2008. Beginning in that year oxide production will cease, and later, sulfide production from the underground mine. It is expected that the townsite will be closed in the 2011.
. Its stadium, Copper Stadium, was inaugurated in 1980. After expansion to accommodate spectators when Cobresal successfully competed in the Chilean League's Premier B finals in 1983, it had a total capacity of 20,752 spectators, that is to say, almost three times the population of the town.
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town
Mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry for the extraction or smeltering of ore.-United States:...
in the commune of Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro, Chile
Diego de Almagro is a Chilean city and commune in Chañaral Province, Atacama Region. The commune has an area of . The area is named after Diego de Almagro.-Demographics:...
, Chañaral Province
Chañaral Province
Chañaral Province is one of three provinces in the northern Chilean region of Atacama . Its capital is the small coastal town of Chañaral.-Geography and demography:...
, Atacama Region
Atacama Region
The Atacama Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It comprises three provinces, Chañaral, Copiapó and Huasco. It is bordered to the north by Antofagasta, to the south by Coquimbo, to east with Provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja and San Juan of Argentina, and to west with...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Located at an elevation of more than 2,300 meters in the foothills of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
and in the middle of the Atacama Desert
Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world...
, it has a population of approximately 7,000 inhabitants. At its peak, El Salvador once had a population of 15,000 inhabitants.
Development and economy
El Salvador's economy is entirely based on copper mining. The Atacameños extracted copper from this area for more than a thousand years. Nevertheless, it was AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
explorations in the 1950s that revealed the presence of ore that could be exploited in an industrial scale. Anaconda Copper Mining Company
Anaconda Copper
Anaconda Copper Mining Company was one of the largest trusts of the early 20th century. The Anaconda was purchased by Atlantic Richfield Company on January 12, 1977...
was concerned about declining reserves in its Potrerillos mine and it sent prospectors in search of a new Chilean ore body in 1951. Working under the auspices Anaconda's Andes Mining subsidiary, the mineralization was discovered in 1954 and mapped in 1955.
As a remote discovery, Anaconda had to build El Salvador as a self-contained and self-sustaining town. It was complete with housing, schools, stores, water and electrical plants and a railway. The mine opened in 1959.
The architect in charge of designing the city was Mr. Oscar Niemeyer.
The town was designed in the shape of a roman helmet. Legend has it that an executive of Anaconda Mining Company travelled to the proposed town site with his son. The boy had with him his beloved toy; a roman helmet, which he lost in the desert. Years later once the city was built he was flown over the town and his father said “Remember the toy helmet you lost as a young boy, look down son there it is http://elsalvadorchile.com/noticiasver.php?idnota=26
Key dates for the foundation of El Salvador, are: 23 April 1959, on this date the first load of ore was crushed, in less than three months on the 2nd of July, the first bar of Copper arrived in New York.
The town itself was inaugurated on the 28th of November 1959.
In 1971, after nationalization of copper
Chilean nationalization of copper
The nationalization of the Chilean copper industry commonly described as the Chilenización del cobre or "Chileanisation of copper," was the progressive process by which the Chilean government acquired control of the major foreign-owned section of the Chilean copper mining industry. It involved the...
under the government of Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
, Codelco
Codelco
CODELCO is the Chilean state owned copper mining company formed in 1976 from the foreign owned copper companies that were nationalised in 1971. The headquarters are in Santiago and the seven-man board of directors is appointed by the President of the Republic...
Chile took over operation of the El Salvador mine.
In 2004, according to official numbers, a total of 74,874 tons metric of fine copper were produced, employing 1,727 people. Nevertheless, since 2001, and in spite of sustained increases in the international price of copper, the mine has experienced losses of more than 3.4 million dollars. In addition, a study by the Australian consultant Goldberg
Goldberg
- People :* Goldberg , people with the surname Goldberg* Whoopi Goldberg, Actress, Comedienne* Bill Goldberg, Former Professional Wrestler- Entertainment :...
, determined that only 243 million tons of copper remain in the mine, which assures mineral for only a few years. On July 29, 2005 Codelco announced the planned closure of the mine beginning in 2008. Beginning in that year oxide production will cease, and later, sulfide production from the underground mine. It is expected that the townsite will be closed in the 2011.
Sports
El Salvador is represented by Cobresal in the Chilean Football LeagueLiga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División
The Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno is the top level of Chilean football, and main component of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is currently ranked 9th in the IFFHS' Best Leagues of the World ranking...
. Its stadium, Copper Stadium, was inaugurated in 1980. After expansion to accommodate spectators when Cobresal successfully competed in the Chilean League's Premier B finals in 1983, it had a total capacity of 20,752 spectators, that is to say, almost three times the population of the town.