Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. After the Spanish American wars of independence, Bolivia claimed Antofagasta as part of its territory. Despite having an overwhelmingly ethnic Chilean population, Chile recognised Bolivian sovereignty of Antofagasta in 1866, but in 1879 Chile recanted its recognition of Bolivian sovereignty citing a Bolivian breach of the latest boundary treaty. Antofagasta was captured by Chile on February 14, 1879, triggering the War of the Pacific (1879–83). Chilean sovereignty was officially recognised by Bolivia under the terms of the 1904 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. The city of Antofagasta is closely linked to mining activity, being a port and the chief service hub for one of Chile's major mining areas. While silver and saltpeter mining have been historically important for Antofagasta, since the mid-19th century copper mining is by far the most important mining activity for Antofagasta fueling a steady growth in the areas of construction, retail, hotel accommodations, population growth, and a remarkable skyline development until the end of the 2000s commodities boom in 2013. Since the 2010s Antofagasta is also a service hub for lithium mining. Antofagasta has the highest GDP per capita of Chile, US$37,000 and the 3rd place for Human Development Index just after Metropolitana de Santiago Region and Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region. History Name Currently there are several theories to explain the origin of the name Antofagasta. A clear consensus regarding the true origin of the word has not yet been determined. It is probably a compound word that comes from the southern Cacan (or , which means "big"), (or , which means "dry lake") and (meaning "pueblo"), being a toponymy meaning "Town of the great salt lake". According to other theories, it may be a compound word from the Quechua word (meaning "copper") and (meaning "hidden"), being a toponymy meaning "Copper Cache"; it could also be related to the Chango language, (meaning "Sun Gate"), what the changos called the current natural monument "La Portada". However, it is said the name Antofagasta is due to a decision by Manuel Mariano Melgarejo, who renamed the city in honor of an that he had in Antofagasta de la Sierra, in 1870. In Chile, Antofagasta is known as ("The Pearl of the North"), for