Antofagasta

Antofagasta Region is bordered by the Tarapacá Region to the north and the Atacama Region to the south. To the east, it borders Bolivia and Argentina. At 126,049 km² it is the second-largest region of Chile. The coastal hyper-arid belt runs from Arica (through Region Tarapacá) until the seaport of Antofagasta, however, south of here, about 50 km north of Taltal is Paposo which represents the richest development of the fog-zone vegetation in northern Chile. Here species such as Berberis litoralis, Dalea azurea and Dicliptera paposana, only occur in this location. It is the predominance of this coastal fog oasis or lomas formation, sometimes described as islands of vegetation surrounded by cool dry desert of the Atacama, which contribute towards the high numbers of endemism (423 species) for the region. Nolana, for example, reaches its highest diversity of endemic species (33); N. dianae, N. onoana and N. philippiana only occur in the Antofagasta Region. As with other northern regions, the pre-altiplano shrub steppe and pre-altiplano shrubland support many endemic species. These fragile habitats, especially the lomas formations, are highly susceptible to Climate Change!

The Endemic Plants of Chile

Endemic Taxa in Antofagasta

Endemic taxa only occurring in Antofagasta