Antofagasta is the second region of Chile. It is also known as Region II by the Chileans. Antofagasta was permanently annexed to Chile at the end of the War of the Pacific, 1879 - 1884. It is situated in the extreme north of the country, some 1300 kilometers from the capital Santiago.
Climate
Mostly a desert climate, part of the Atacama Desert, with variations in the amount of annual rainfall from the coast to the highland desert.