Boundary Treaty of 1866 between Chile and Bolivia
Encyclopedia
The Boundary Treaty of 1866 between Chile
and Bolivia
was signed in Santiago de Chile at August 10, 1866 and stated amongst others that:
One of the main flaws of the treaty was that the it failed to specify the meaning of "mining activities" and the control to be exerted over the tax collection didn't work. As a matter of fact Chile paid up her debts, and in 1873 not a farthing had ever been received from Bolivia.
On the other hand, Bolivians claimed that only Chile benefited from the "strange condominium".
Such a condition of affairs was obviously impossible of continuance and 1874 both countries agreed to the Boundary Treaty of 1874 between Chile and Bolivia.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
was signed in Santiago de Chile at August 10, 1866 and stated amongst others that:
- (article 1) a formal frontier at 24° LatitudeLatitudeIn geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
South (located just south of the port of AntofagastaAntofagastaAntofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2002 census, the city has a population of 296,905...
) adding some east of the AndesAndesThe Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, - (article 2) Chile and Bolivia would share equally all the tax revenue generated by mining activities in the region from 23°S to 25°S
- (article 3) a only custom house should collect the tax in (Bolivian) MejillonesMejillonesMejillones is a Chilean port city and commune in Antofagasta Province, Antofagasta Region. Its name is the plural form of the Spanish mejillón meaning "mussel", referring to a particularly abundant species and preferred staple food of its indigenous inhabitants. It is situated in the northern side...
and a Chilean customs officer would be stationed there. - (article 6) both countries agree not to alienate his rights to a third party except the other signer.
- (article 7) both parties agreed to pay $80.000 to the miners of Mejillones whose works had been suspended 1863
One of the main flaws of the treaty was that the it failed to specify the meaning of "mining activities" and the control to be exerted over the tax collection didn't work. As a matter of fact Chile paid up her debts, and in 1873 not a farthing had ever been received from Bolivia.
On the other hand, Bolivians claimed that only Chile benefited from the "strange condominium".
Such a condition of affairs was obviously impossible of continuance and 1874 both countries agreed to the Boundary Treaty of 1874 between Chile and Bolivia.
Bibliographie
- Luis Orrego Luco, Los problemas internacionales de Chile; la cuestion boliviana (1900), Imprenta Mejia, Santiago de Chile, (Download here) in Spanish Language.