ANTOFAGASTA, DIOCESE OF. — The city of Antofagasta is situated in northern Chile, in an almost desert region rich in mineral resources (nitrates), and has a good port; it is the capital of a vast province (123,063 sq. km.) with a very sparse population. The diocese, erected on 3 February 1928, is a suffragan of La Serena and comprises the entire province with a Catholic population of 13,000, divided into 20 parishes. The clergy, mostly foreign, consists of 28 priests, 19 of whom are religious.
BIBL.: AAS, 21 (1929), pp. 138-43; cf. also Revista Católica, Organo de la Provincia eclesiástica de Chile, 1933-40, and Centro Italiano de estudios americanos. Annuario, Rome 1942. Raul Pinto