Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about 700 miles (1,130 km) north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2002 census, the city has a population of 296,905. However, a recent population projection by the National Institute of Statistics of Chile in 2009, says the city has an estimated population of 360,473 inhabitants.
The city of Antofagasta is closely linked to mining activity, being a major mining area of the country. The last decade has been a steady growth in the areas of construction, retail, hotel accommodations, population growth, and remarkable skyline development.
Also Antofagasta has the highest GDP per capita of Chile, 32.008 USD and the 3rd place for Human Development Index just afterMetropolitana de Santiago Region and Magallanes and Ant�rtica Chilena Region
