TACNA

southernmost departamento of Peru, bounded by the Pacific Ocean (southwest), Bolivia (northeast), and Chile (south). It occupies an area of 6,171 square miles (15,983 square km). In the coastal desert of the southwest, settlement depends on irrigation provided by the Locumba and Sama rivers. The northeast lies high in the Andes. The one area of concentrated settlement is around the city of Tacna (q.v.), the departmental capital. The department was occupied during the War of the Pacific (1880) by Chileans, who retained it until 1929. In the irrigated lowlands, grapes and other fruits, cotton, and sugarcane are grown, and the relatively few Indian inhabitants of the highlands produce wheat, barley, and potatoes and raise sheep and alpacas. Tacna is considered to have the most varied and extensive mineral resources (notably of copper) of all Peruvian departments. The department is linked by the Pan-American Highway, by other roads, and by air to cities in coastal and Andean Peru and by road and by rail to Arica, Chile. Pop. (1990 est.) 209,800. capital of Tacna departamento, southern Peru, on the Caplina River at 1,844 feet (562 m) above sea level, in the arid Andean foothills. When the Spaniards arrived at the site in the 16th century, it was occupied by Aymara Indians. Later, the Spanish town of San Pedro de Tacna was founded, and the surrounding fertile soil and cool climate, as well as proximity to the Pacific port of Arica, Chile, contributed to its prosperity during the colonial era. Silver from Potos, Bolivia, was also sent to Arica via Tacna. Following the depletion of the mines, Tacna languished, but it gained fame during the wars for independence from Spain, becoming the Heroic City of Tacna in 1826. In 1880, during the War of the Pacific, Chileans defeated Peruvian-Bolivian forces at nearby Campo de la Alianza. The Treaty of Ancn (1883) awarded both Tacna and Arica to Chile, but a final settlement in 1929 returned Tacna to Peru. During Chilean occupation Tacna was modernized greatly. The cathedral, begun in 1872, has been completed. The city is an agricultural processing centre. Crops include tobacco, grapes, cotton, and sugarcane; tanning, fruit canning, wine making, and liquor distilling are major activities. Tacna has an airport and is linked with Arica, 40 miles (60 km) south, by rail and the Pan-American highway. Roads also lead eastward to Andean settlements. Pop. (1990 est.) 150,200.