Iquique had 4 different names over time. In the sixteenth century was called Puerto de Tarapaca, during the next century was know by the name port Ique - Ique Then in the eighteenth century it was called Our Lady of the Conception of Ique – Ique and finally in the nitrate era in the nineteenth century received its present name: IQUIQUE.

This name comes from the Aymara ique meaning "dream" and "bed." According to Professor Lamagdelaine, the inhabitants of the Altiplano and the Cordillera pre suffered the consequences of large changes in altitude between their villages and the port, which caused an uncontrollable desire to sleep when it came to the coast and therefore the term used to identify the area. There is also another version that Iquique means "asleep on the way."

In the beginning, Iquique was a fishing creek inhabited by the changos and which also operates the seabird guano on the old "Isleta de Iquique”. The Port the movement of the time was shipment of guano in small sailboats.

Subsequently began to stop ships from Chile, with products such as barley, charqui, flour, fruits and others in the region of the interior. By 1830, it slowly began to produce the industry's development in the canton of Nitrate La Noria, an area located some 40 kilometers inland from Iquique, which was also the increase of port activities, which took effect with the adoption machinery of steam for the operation of saltpeter.

Iquique ceased to be a cove for fishermen, to become a small port. Already in 1828 the Peruvian government had authorized the export of nitrate through the port of Iquique, but the ships calling at Arica were to be dispatched from there to their ports of destination. This limitation was lifted two years later and sailing cargo sailed from Iquique.

Among the areas of El Morro and La Puntilla, to the coast area of the city facing the islet of Iquique were built 19 docks for shipment of saltpeter.

Charles Darwin who visited the port in 1835 estimated the number of thousand inhabitants. Subsequently, the 1862 census found a population of 2485 people, while 10 years later gave a figure of 5088 residents.

In 1871 the railway was opened from Iquique to La Noria, thus replacing the road as a burden for the nitrate.

 

With the start of the Pacific War, the Chilean squadron underwent blockade of the ports of Arica and Iquique. On May 21, 1879 took place in Iquique Bay, opposite the island, a naval combat between armored forces of the Peruvian Navy (Huáscar monitor and armored frigate Independencia) and Chilean forces (corvette Esmeralda and Covadonga schooner), combat despite the loss of the Esmeralda, was the triumph of arms to Chilean Independence also be depressed, thereby ending the possibility that Peru overlooking the sea. After the military campaign that ended with Tarapacá the success of the Chilean forces on November 22, 1879 Peruvian garrison forces in Iquique leaving the plaza. Since that time the island of Iquique is then called Serrano Island in memory of Officer of the Esmeralda, Don Ignacio Serrano Montaner.

Standard in the mining saltpeter after the occupation of Tarapaca in Chile, the government encouraged private initiative in transforming the city of Iquique in the Capital of saltpetre.

 

Towards the last decade of last century, the government sought to develop port at Iquique in order to facilitate the activities of the port. To this end, we built a pier molo and the link between the island and mainland Serrano. Iquique in 1912 was an important port since the nitrate activity causing a movement of 1,300,000 tons per year. The charge transfer was done through the many existing private docks and sea conditions were quite acceptable, as the island Serrano partly protected the operations of the boats engaged in such work.

However the First World War revealed the imminent decline of the nitrate. There was a serious crisis of post - war and even if the activity has recovered, the synthetic salitre finally began to move natural nitrate, which also resulted in the port of Iquique.

In the year 1927 the Port Commission made a proposal called for the execution of public works in the port of Iquique, in 1928 began the construction of the artificial harbor. The works were completed in 1932, precisely in the midst of the great global economic crisis had a strong impact on the salt industry, at that time the main economic activity.

Works considered the construction of a Molo of Union between mainland and island Serrano, a Molo de Abrigo 864 mts. long, with a marina berth and the construction of a breakwater berths 330/280 mts. length of 100 mts. wide.

The new port was built state-run through the "Service Port Operation," corporation established to manage in a centralized manner the different ports, until in 1960 created the Port of Chile (EMPORCHI) whose administration passed facilities.

In December of 1997 was enacted Law No. 19,542 of "Modernization of the State Port Sector" which established the creation of autonomous port companies. In which context, in April 1998 was created the Port of Iquique (EPI), a continuation of the former legal EMPORCHI, which ceased to exist in December of that year.

For its part the city of Iquique experienced various vicissitudes during the past century, growing and declining economic growth to beat because of the exploitation of nitrate and its subsequent decline.

In the sixties, after a long decline, the city had a new awakening after the State encourages the development of fisheries and construction of vessels for fishing in the city. This activity was the main livelihood for almost twenty years until the mid-70s, with the creation of the Free Zone of Iquique (Zofri) it had a new development momentum that lasts until today.

Capital of the Tarapacá region, now with over 200,000 inhabitants, the city of Iquique is one of the most prosperous and growing cities in Chile helped, too, the benefits of an enabling environment.

The exceptional climatic and geographical conditions that surround the city with 200km of coastline, there is an average temperature of 20 º C, making tourism shopping in the free zone and enjoy the comforts of a well-equipped infrastructure in tourist hotels , international cuisine, transportation, public walks and a modern Casino.

Always within the province of Iquique, the presence of centers of Andean culture, indigenous villages, archeology, oasis producing tropical fruits and medicinal springs, crowned by the majesty of the Andes Iquique make a very attractive place for tourism .

We can distinguish two areas in the city: a small, named Historic or Old Town and the other recent and larger-dominated residential areas and industries.