# Chañaral Commune, Chañaral Province, Atacama Region

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/chile/atacama/chanaral/chanaral/

Commune · Chañaral Province 

# Chañaral

Chañaral is a commune of Chile in Chañaral Province, Atacama Region. It had an estimated **13,109 people** in 2022 on 5,764 km² (about 2.3 per km²). 20 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 92 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 13,109people (2022)
- 5,764km²
- 92mapped services
- 47 mtypical elevation

## How many people live in Chañaral?

Chañaral had an estimated **13,109 people** in 2022 — 48.1% of Chañaral Province, 226th of 345 communes. There are 971 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Chañaral Province figure of 969). Spread over 5,764 km², that is about **2.3 people per km²**, 306th of 345 communes.

22.8% of people are children under 15 and 13.2% are 65 or older; the median age is about 35 years (it is 35 across Chañaral Province). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 56 children and older people.

0–4 ****845**

5–9 ****1,032**

10–14 ****1,118**

15–19 ****815**

20–24 ****760**

25–29 ****959**

30–34 ****1,021**

35–39 ****923**

40–44 ****854**

45–49 ****761**

50–54 ****742**

55–59 ****834**

60–64 ****717**

65–69 ****612**

70–74 ****451**

75–79 ****311**

80+ ****354**

Source: [UNFPA and Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas de Chile (INE) via OCHA HDX, population 2022 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-chl).

## Where is Chañaral?

Chañaral lies in [Chañaral Province](https://wherepedia.org/chile/atacama/chanaral/), [Atacama Region](https://wherepedia.org/chile/atacama/), [Chile](https://wherepedia.org/chile/). It borders 4 other communes: [Caldera](https://wherepedia.org/chile/atacama/copiapo/caldera/), [Copiapó](https://wherepedia.org/chile/atacama/copiapo/copiapo/), [Diego de Almagro](https://wherepedia.org/chile/atacama/chanaral/diego-de-almagro/) and [Taltal](https://wherepedia.org/chile/antofagasta/antofagasta/taltal/). By area it is the 33rd largest of 345 communes in Chile. It covers 23.3% of [Chañaral Province](https://wherepedia.org/chile/atacama/chanaral/). The centre of Chañaral is about 782 km in a straight line from Santiago, the capital. The centre point is at 26.4267° S, 70.4410° W.

Source: [La Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (BCN) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-chl).

## Things to see in and around Chañaral

OpenStreetMap lists 17 named sights in Chañaral: 10 viewpoints; 2 memorials; 2 beachs; 1 monument; 1 attraction; 1 museum.

- Museo de Chañaral 'Rodulfo A. Philippi' · museum
- Playa Dulce · beach
- Playa Piqueros · beach
- El Mirador · viewpoint
- Estuario del Río Salado · viewpoint
- Loberas · viewpoint
- Mirador · viewpoint
- Mirador Lobera · viewpoint
- Playa Hippie · viewpoint
- Playa Las Pocitas · viewpoint
- Playa Los Médanos · viewpoint
- Playa Portofino · viewpoint
- ¨Playa Villa Alegre · viewpoint
- Chañaral · attraction
- B. O'Higgins · memorial
- Fuerte Sargento Aldea · memorial
- Juan Moroni Herrera · monument

Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: Chañaral

- Time zoneUTC−3 (summer UTC−4) · America/Santiago
- CurrencyPeso (CLP)
- Country calling code+56
- LanguagesSpanish
- Plug typesType C, L · 220 V
- Driving sideRight
- Postcode format7 digits (#######)

### Nearest airports

- Ricardo García Posada Airport (ESR) · El Salvador69 km
- Desierto de Atacama Airport (CPO) · Copiapo99 km

### Daylight

Days are longest in Dec (about 13.8 hours, sunrise around 06:43) and shortest in Jun (about 10.5 hours, sunrise around 08:27, sunset around 18:56).

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling.

## Villages and localities in Chañaral

Open gazetteers list **20 villages, towns and localities** in Chañaral. Settlements here lie between about 16 m and 934 m above sea level (median 47 m).

- Barquito
- Caleta Pan de Azúcar
- Carrizalillo
- Chañaral
- El Barquito
- El Caleuche
- El Refugio
- El Salado
- Flamenco
- Hippie
- Las Bombas
- Las Piscinas
- Las Pocitas
- Los Médanos
- Placilla
- Playa Villa Alegre
- Portofino
- Puerto Flamenco
- Puerto Pan de Azúcar
- Villa Miramar

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

## Landscape and landmarks of Chañaral

Named natural and historic features inside Chañaral, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

1 river or stream.

- Quebrada El Salado

### Coast and islands

12 headlands; 1 island.

- Cabo Falso Pan de Azúcar
- Isla Pan de Azúcar
- Punta Achurra
- Punta Flamenco
- Punta Flamenquito
- Punta Infieles
- Punta Los Médanos
- Punta Patch
- Punta Piedra Negra
- Punta Roca Baja
- Punta Rodríguez
- Punta Salado
- Punta Ánimas

### Hills and mountains

42 mountains; 9 mountain passes; 8 hills.

- Cerro Chivato · 2,097 m
- Cerro San Juan · 1,970 m
- Cerro Negro · 1,807 m
- Cerro Merceditas · 1,779 m
- Remolino · 1,643 m
- Cerro Salitrosa · 1,458 m
- Cerro Salado · 1,454 m
- Remolino Este · 1,434 m
- Cerro Carmen · 1,430 m
- Cerro del Carmen · 1,414 m
- Cerro San Cristóbal · 1,346 m
- Cerro Negro · 1,302 m
- Cerro Florida · 1,242 m
- Las Tazas · 1,242 m
- Portezuelo Porvenir · 1,234 m
- Portezuelo Varilla · 1,219 m
- Portezuelo Remolino · 1,211 m
- Remolino Oeste · 1,188 m
- Cerro San Jerónimo · 1,167 m
- Cerro Florida Sur · 1,165 m
- Cuesta Dieciocho · 1,164 m
- Cerro Las Bombas · 1,118 m
- Cerro Calichal · 1,083 m
- Loma Negra · 1,069 m

…and 35 more.

### Forests and nature

1 nature reserve.

- Pan de Azúcar National Park

### Getting around

2 railway stations; 1 airport; 1 airfield.

- Aeródromo Chañaral
- Chañaral Airport
- Empalme Número Uno
- Punta Negra

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in Chañaral and the best time to visit

Using the climate of Chañaral Province, the warmest month is Jan (average 29 °C) and the coolest is Jul (21 °C), after allowing for this place being about 2,357 m lower than the climate reference point (about 6.5 °C per 1,000 m). About 37 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Jan (6 mm) and the driest Sep (0 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **March to November**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 29 6 

Feb 29 6 

Mar 28 5 

Apr 26 3 

May 23 1 

Jun 21 2 

Jul 21 2 

Aug 22 2 

Sep 24 0 

Oct 26 2 

Nov 27 3 

Dec 29 6 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Chañaral

Need Nearest mapped Distance 

Hospital Urgencia De Chañaral · Chañaral 20 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-26.34695&mlon=-70.61705#map=17/-26.34695/-70.61705) 

Bank State Bank · Chañaral 20 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-26.34795&mlon=-70.62116#map=17/-26.34795/-70.62116) 

Petrol pump Copec · Chañaral 19 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-26.33646&mlon=-70.60478#map=17/-26.33646/-70.60478) 

Hotel Hostal Pan de Azúcar · Chañaral 20 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-26.34199&mlon=-70.61733#map=17/-26.34199/-70.61733) 

Mall Distribuidora Betsy · Chañaral 20 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-26.34599&mlon=-70.61789#map=17/-26.34599/-70.61789) 

School Escuela El Salado · Chañaral 12 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-26.42480&mlon=-70.32072#map=17/-26.42480/-70.32072) 

Police station Reten El Salado · Chañaral 12 km [Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=-26.42188&mlon=-70.31693#map=17/-26.42188/-70.31693) 

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km.

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Chañaral

Places mapped inside Chañaral in open map data, by type.

- Hospitals3
- Banks3
- Petrol pumps8
- Hotels13
- Shopping malls1
- Schools12
- Pharmacies3
- Restaurants43
- Police stations4
- Dental clinics2

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Other communes in Chañaral Province

- Diego de Almagro

## Quick answers

- Where is Chañaral?In Chañaral Province, Atacama Region, Chile
- What is the population of Chañaral?13,109 (2022 estimate)
- What is the median age in Chañaral?About 35 years (2022 estimate)
- What is the population density of Chañaral?About 2.3 people per km²
- What borders Chañaral?Caldera, Copiapó, Diego de Almagro and Taltal
- What is there to see in Chañaral?B. O'Higgins, Chañaral, El Mirador, Estuario del Río Salado
- What time zone is Chañaral in?UTC−3 (summer UTC−4)
- What currency is used in Chañaral?Peso (CLP)
- What language is spoken in Chañaral?Spanish (main languages nationally)
- How many villages are in Chañaral?20 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap)
- What is the elevation of Chañaral?Settlements lie between 16 m and 934 m
- What is the highest point in Chañaral?Cerro Chivato (2,097 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit Chañaral?March to November
- Where is the nearest hospital to Chañaral?Urgencia De Chañaral, about 20 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest bank to Chañaral?State Bank, about 20 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest petrol pump to Chañaral?Copec, about 19 km from the centre
- How many hospitals are in Chañaral?3 mapped
- How many banks are in Chañaral?3 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Chañaral?8 mapped
- What is the P-code of Chañaral?CL03201 (OCHA common operational dataset)