ANTOFAGASTA, DIOCESE of. – The city of A. lies in northern Chile, in an almost desert region but rich in mineral resources (nitrates), and has a good port; it is the capital of a vast province (123,063 sq. km.), which is extremely sparsely populated. The diocese, established on 3 February 1928, is suffragan to La Serena and comprises the entire province, with a population of 135,000 Catholics, divided among 20 parishes. The clergy, mostly foreign, consists of 28 priests, 19 of whom are religious.
BIBL.: AAS, 21 (1929), pp. 138–43; see also the Revista Católica, Organo de la Provincia eclesiástica de Chile, 1933–40, and the Centro Italiano de estudios americanos. Annuario, Rome 1940. Raul Pinto