Situated in the valley of Huasco, an area dominated by agricultural plantations, 145 km south of Copiapó and 668 km from Santiago. It has 42,725 inhabitants and lies 380 meters above sea level.

It was founded on January 5 1789 by Ambrosio O’Higgins with the name of Villa San Ambrosio de Ballenary, in remembrance of his birthplace in Ireland.

This city, a center for iron mining, has a developing agricultural industry, thanks to the river Huasco and the recent construction of the Santa Juana Reserve, enabling fertilization of the lands. Vegetables, fruit trees and vineyards are produced here.

One of the city’s main tourist attractions is the Museum of the Huasco, where there is information on the mineralogy, paleontology, botany, zoology and history of Huasco. The beaches by the coast are beautiful, as are other areas of the interior, where you can see the contrast between the usual aridness or the zone together with the green of the valley.