The Department of Litoral, commonly known as the Bolivian coast, was the description of the extent of the Pacific coast of the Atacama desert

Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world...

 included the territory of 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...

 since its inception in 1825 until 1879.

Background

When Bolivia emerged in 1825 as an independent state, these territories were part of the Bolivian department of Potosí

Potosí

Potosí is a city and the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at a nominal . and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia...

. During the government of Andrés de Santa Cruz

Andrés de Santa Cruz

Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana was President of Peru and Bolivia...

, the territories were established as the department of Litoral.

The main towns on the Pacific coast named, were from north to south, Cobija

Cobija

The Bolivian city of Cobija is located about 600 km north of La Paz in the Amazon Basin on the border of Brazil and Peru. Cobija lies on banks of the Rio Acre across from the Brazilian city Brasiléia. Cobija lies at an elevation of ca...

, Mejillones

Mejillones

Mejillones 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 Antofagasta

Antofagasta

Antofagasta 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...

.

The port of Paposo was taken from the colony as the capital of the coast Atacameño. Chile

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...

, once it consolidated its independence, looked to their territories north and executed various acts of sovereignty on the coast of the desert, as part of its territory throughout the coast to the mouth of the river Loa

Loa River

The Loa River is a U-shaped river in Chile's northern Antofagasta Region. At 440 km long it is the country's longest river and the main watercourse in the Atacama Desert.-Course:...

, as it formed the border with Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

, putting more if not for the establishment of Bolivia which was established in the town of Cobija.

Treaties

Subsequently, as the treaty of 1866 established the border between the two States on the parallel 24º, but establishing an area of common interests between 23 and 25 degrees south latitude.

Subsequently signed the treaty of 1874, which establishes the final boundary between the two nations the parallel 24 °, provided that during the period of 25 years shall not impose new taxes to the Chilean people and companies based in the area.

Chile was willing to move down the coast from the desert to allow Bolivia a sovereign outlet to the ocean, under the conditions seen before, eliminating the regime of common interests of the treaty of 1866.

Bolivia and Peru, bound by a secret treaty of defensive alliance since 1873 (one year before the border treaty with Chile), were defeated by Chile in the War of the Pacific

War of the Pacific

The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...

 which lasted until 1884, losing the Bolivian coast and Peruvian department Tarapacá

Tarapacá

Tarapacá may refer to:*Tarapacá Province, Chile, a former province, now divided into**Tarapacá Region**Arica-Parinacota Region*Tarapacá Department , a former department of Peru...

. This was not the casus belli

Casus belli

is a Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while means bellic...

, but then a valuable source of saltpeter

Sodium nitrate

Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula NaNO3. This salt, also known as Chile saltpeter or Peru saltpeter to distinguish it from ordinary saltpeter, potassium nitrate, is a white solid which is very soluble in water...

.

Claim

Since then, Bolivia retains the policy of state territorial claim of a sovereign outlet to the Pacific Ocean. As part of this policy, the national coat of arms shows 10 stars, 9 of the current departments, plus the Bolivian coast.

The internal communications of the armed forces carried the slogan in the footnotes: The sea is our right to recover is a must.

Also in Santa Cruz, for choosing beauty contests, as well as Miss Santa Cruz, Miss Litoral.

Bolivia°N date=December 2010°W