Demographics
According to the 2002 census of National Statistics Institute (INE), the commune of Iquique had an area of 2,835.3 km2 (1,095 sq mi) and 216,419 inhabitants (108,897 men and 107,522 women). Of these, 214,586 (99.2%) lived in urban areas and 1,833 (0.9%) in rural areas. The township has an area of 2,262.4 km2 (874 sq mi) and a population of 166,204 inhabitants. The population grew by 42.7% (64,742 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Iquique is home to 56% of the total population of the Tarapacá region. In 2008, the city had 226,204 habitants.
Iquique commune is divided into the following districts:
| District | 2002 Population Census | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|
| Port | 3,721 | 0.8 |
| Industrial District | 12,800 | 65.4 |
| Hospital | 11,087 | 5.1 |
| Caupolicán | 19,486 | 2.2 |
| Playa Brava | 18,580 | 2.1 |
| Cavancha | 13,729 | 1.4 |
| Parque Balmaceda | 10,843 | 1.1 |
| Arturo Prat | 10,773 | 1.0 |
| Punta Lobos | 1,592 | 2,127.8 |
| Gómez Carreño | 23,165 | 1.7 |
| La Tirana | 40,428 | 33.5 |
There is a significant percentage of ethnic group colony residents. The most numerous communities are Croatian, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Arabic nationalities, Peruvians and Bolivians, British peoples (i.e. Scots) and the French.
In the 1910s and 1920s, about a thousand East Indian (from India and Pakistani) salitre mine workers hired by British mine companies appeared in Iquique and today, their descendants mixed into the local population. Lately, a wave of North American and Australian immigrants came to retire and enjoy the city's beach climate. Immigrants currently correspond to 9.2% of the total population.
| Population evolution of the commune of Iquique: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 146,089 | 166,204 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Population evolution of the city of Iquique: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 145,139 | 164,396 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Iquique