What is War of the Pacific?
[[File:Pacifico1879.svg|thumb|Boundary changes as a result of the war]] The '''War of the Pacific''' (or '''Saltpeter War''') took place from [[1879]]-[[1883]]. It grew out of a dispute between [[Bolivia]] and [[Peru]] against [[Chile]] over control of a part of the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coast. The disputed area was part of the [[Atacama Desert]] that lies between the 23rd and 26th parallels. The territory contained valuable [[mineral]] [[resource]]s, mainly [[potassium nitrate]], which were exploited by Chilean companies and [[United Kingdom|British]] interests. The Bolivian government decided to increase [[tax]]es to take advantage of the increasing income of the region, which led to a commercial dispute. The early part of the war was mostly at sea, and the late part mostly on land. Chile won, and Bolivia lost its access to the ocean and became [[landlocked]]. [[Category:1879]] [[Category:1880]] [[Category:1881]] [[Category:1882]] [[Category:1883]] [[Category:History of Bolivia]] [[Category:History of Chile]] [[Category:19th century in South America]] [[Category:History of Peru]] [[Category:Wars involving South America]] [[Category:19th-century conflicts]] {{History-stub}} {{authority control}}