Bolivia loses its coastline after the War of the Pacific
- When
- 1884–1904
- Where
- Valparaíso (name-derived locality of the Treaty of Valparaiso, not a documented signing site); Chile
- Episodes
- 2
Bolivia became landlocked following the War of the Pacific. In 1884, Bolivia signed a truce accepting Chilean military occupation of its coast. Definitive boundaries were established later in 1904, formally ceding the Antofagasta region to Chile.
Episodes
- 1884 Truce Acceptance
Bolivia signed a truce in 1884, accepting Chilean military occupation of its coast, after a naval deployment induced agreement.
- 1904 Boundary Establishment
The 1904 Treaty of Peace and Friendship established definite boundaries, ceding Antofagasta to Chile.
Background and detail
Background. The War of the Pacific (1879–1884) involved Chile against a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance. The conflict centered on Chilean claims to coastal Bolivian territory in the Atacama Desert. Chile achieved victory, gaining significant resource-rich territory from both Peru and Bolivia, fundamentally altering the geopolitical map of the region.
1884 Truce. In 1884, Bolivia signed a truce, the Treaty of Valparaiso, and accepted the military occupation of its entire coast. In the same year, the deployment of the Chilean torpedo boat Colo Colo to Lake Titicaca induced the Bolivian government to agree to a peace treaty with Chile.
1904 Treaty. The definitive Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed in 1904, establishing definite boundaries. This treaty formally ceded the complete region of Antofagasta to Chile, resulting in Bolivia losing its outlet to the Pacific Ocean. It granted Bolivia rights to tax-free transport and duty-free access to northern Chilean ports.
Sources
- War of the Pacific Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.