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The 'Atacama border dispute' was a border dispute between Chile and Bolivia in the 1800s that ended in Chilean annexation of all of the Bolivian Coast and the southern tip of Bolivia's ally Peru, during the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). At some time the dispute also involved Argentina that annexed Bolivian territory controlled by Chile. Some consider the dispute is still ongoing as Bolivia still claims a sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean. The conflict takes name from the Atacama Desert on which lies the disputed territory.

Contents

Origins

The War of the Pacific

Chilean proposal of 1975

Recent history

See also

Origins

The origins of the dispute came from the borders established in the Spanish empire that just defined the Atacama desert as the northern border of the Kingdom of Chile. Bolivian and Chilean historians disagree on whether the territory of Charcas, originally part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, later of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata and ultimately of Bolivia, included access to the sea. Supporting their claims with different documents, Bolivians claim that it did while Chileans disagree. When Simón Bolívar established Bolivia as a nation in 1825, he claimed access to the sea disregarding overlapping claims by Chile, who had gained independence 7 years before, although most economic exploitation of the coastal region was being conducted by Chilean companies and British interests, under the aegis of Chile's more robust economy and more stable institutions.
The border dispute between Bolivia and Chile grew slowly during most of the 1800s over the Atacama corridor, a part of the Atacama Desert which now forms northern Chile. The Atacama Desert is bordered by the Coast Range on the west and the Andes on the east. The geography of the area was a very large factor in determining how the border dispute began. Because of the mountains, the area has rains only 2 to 4 times a century, making it one of the driest places on Earth.
After the independence of Chile (1818) and Bolivia (1825) none of the following governments of both countries cared about defining its borders.
National boundaries in the Atacama region had still not been definitely determined when nitrate, silver and copper deposits were discovered in the area. Both Bolivia and Chile established competing claims for the territory. Other countries' interest was drawn due to the importance of nitrates in the production of fertilizer and high explosives; Britain, Spain and the United States had a strategic and economic stake in controlling the resource granting their support to the different parties. Chile's influence grew in the disputed zone as miners, some of them backed by Chilean and foreign companies, started to advance northwards establishing mines and port facilities.
National borders in the region had not been clearly agreed until 1866; the two countries had negotiated a treaty^[1] that established the 24th parallel as their boundary, and entitled Bolivia and Chile to share in tax revenue on mineral exports out of the territory between the 23rd and 25th parallels. A second treaty in 1874 superseded this, entitling Bolivia to collect full tax revenue between the 23rd and 24th parallels, but fixed tax rates on Chilean companies for 25 years. Bolivia subsequently became dissatisfied at the arrangement due to the negative financial status of the national budget, especially after an earthquake destroyed Cobija, the only small coast town originally founded by Bolivians.

The War of the Pacific

:''Main article: War of the Pacific''
A treaty made in 1874 allowed Chile to exploit the area without exploitation fees for a period of 25 years. 1878, another Bolivian government violated the treaty and attempted to raise taxes on a Chilean nitrate company. Chile did protest against this action and gave Bolivia a 1 year term to undo it's decision, but this was not heard, when in February 1879 Bolivia confiscated the companies and offered them to the highest bidder. As an answer to this action, the Chilean government saw the treaty as annulated and the Chilean army occupied Antofagasta. Bolivia declared war on Chile the 1st March 1879, and involved it's secret ally Peru, starting the War of the Pacific. Chile then declared war on Peru the 5th of April 1879. Within four years Chile defeated the joint war efforts of Bolivia and Peru. While Bolivian troops retired from the disputed region early in the war, the Chilean Army had to occupy Peru's capital Lima to finally get a peace treaty.
Under the terms of the Treaty of Ancón,[1] Chile was to occupy the provinces of Tacna and Arica for 10 years, after which a plebiscite was to be held to determine their nationality. The two countries failed for decades to agree on the terms of the plebiscite. Finally in 1929, through the mediation of the United States under President Herbert Hoover, an accord was reached by which Chile kept Arica; Peru reacquired Tacna and received $6 million indemnity and other concessions.
At the end of the war, Chile had acquired the Atacama corridor (now Atacama Region) as well as the province of Antofagasta (Antofagasta Region) and the Peruvian Tarapacá (Tarapacá Region), turning Bolivia into a permanently landlocked state. In 1884, Bolivia signed a truce that gave control to Chile of the entire Bolivian coast, the province of Antofagasta, and its valuable nitrate, copper and other mineral deposits. A treaty in 1904 made this arrangement permanent. In return Chile agreed to build a railroad connecting the Bolivian capital of La Paz with the port of Arica and guaranteed freedom of transit for Bolivian commerce through Chilean ports and territory.

Chilean proposal of 1975

In 1975, the Chilean government of Augusto Pinochet made a proposal to Bolivia that included the swapping of some Chilean territory north of Arica to Bolivia in exchange of some Bolivian land, but not a corridor that would split Chile into two pieces.
The proposal involved former Peruvian land and according to the treaty of Ancon, Chile could not give former Peruvian territories to other nations without Peru's agreement. The leftist dictator of Peru Francisco Morales Bermúdez opposed to these changes but proposed to make Arica a territory governed by the three states. Chile responded it could not accept this complicated shared sovereignty. Some argued that the Chilean proposal was made only to rise friendship with Bolivia as they knew it would not result. The same year Chilean relations with Bolivia severed and diplomatic relations were broken. Today Chile and Bolivia still only maintain consular relations.

Recent history

Bolivia still holds claims on the Atacama corridor, which Chile rejects, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through the territory for the export of Bolivian natural gas and other commodities. Today the territories lost by Bolivia and Peru give the Chilean state nearly 40% of its income as the state owned company CODELCO exploits the world's biggest copper reserves.
During the Bolivian Gas War the dispute rose again, as most Bolivians, including the now president Evo Morales, opposed the future export of Bolivian gas through Chilean territory, which the Government and foreign companies wanted. In 2004, the anniversary of the 1904 treaty, Bolivian claims were reignited, and the words gas-for-sea became the slogan of people who opposed exportation. The dispute became evident when the Chilean president Ricardo Lagos faced the Bolivian president Carlos Mesa in the Organization of American States, and Mesa spoke about the topic in front of all the presidents of the Americas.
With the rise of two socialists - Michelle Bachelet in Chile, the first woman to be president in her country, and Evo Morales, the first president of Indian origin in Bolivia, relations have improved in recent years.

See also

★ Annexation

★ Revanchism

★ Status quo ante bellum

★ Territorial dispute

★ List of Chilean-Peruvian controversies