Arica y Parinacota Region

The XV Arica and Parinacota Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the east and Chile's Tarapacá Region to the south. It is also the country's newest region, created under Law 20.175. It became operational on October 8, 2007. Chile's former Tarapacá region was a former Peruvian province, which was occupied by Chile under the 1883 Treaty of Ancón at the close of the War of the Pacific, and then formally annexed in 1929 by the Treaty of Lima.

Geography

The region lies within the Norte Grande (Far North) natural region. It combines deserts, green valleys, the steep and volcanic Andes mountains, and the Altiplano (high plain) to the east. A narrow coastal strip of low-lying land no more than 2 kilometres (1 mi) wide separates the Pacific's Nazca plate from the Andes. Its Parinacota volcano is the region's highest elevation at 6,348 metres (20,827 ft) and lies on the northern border with Bolivia in Lauca National Park.

Hydrology

The region's two main rivers are the Lauca, which drains into Bolivia's Coipasa salt flat (Lago Coipasa), and the Lluta, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. Lake Chungará at 4,517 metres (14,820 ft) above sea level ranks as one of the highest in the world.

Border dispute with Peru

On January 26, 2007, Peru’s government issued a protest against Chile’s demarcation of the coastal frontier the two countries share. According to the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, the Chilean legislatures had endorsed a plan regarding the Arica y Parinacota region which did not comply with the current established territorial demarcation. Moreover, it is alleged that the proposed Chilean law included an assertion of sovereignty over 19,000 m2 (204,514 sq ft) of land in Peru's Tacna Region. According to the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, Chile has defined a new region "without respecting the Concordia demarcation."

For its part, the Chilean government has asserted that the region in dispute is not a coastal site named Concordia, but instead refers to boundary stone No. 1, which is located to the northeast and 200 meters inland. A possible border dispute was averted when the Chilean Constitutional Court formally ruled on January 26, 2007 against the legislation. While agreeing with the court's ruling, the Chilean government reiterated its stance that the maritime borders between the two nations were not in question and have been formally recognized by the international community. [1]. The Peruvian government has stated that it might turn to the international court at The Hague to solve the dispute.