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La Serena is a Chilean city and commune in Elqui Province and capital of the Coquimbo Region. Founded in 1544, it is the country's third oldest city after Santiago and Arica. It is located 471 km north of Santiago, and has a communal population of 190,716 (2006 projection, and 400,000 the Greater La Serena)area, the country's fourth largest conurbation (pop. 300,000, 2002 census), which includes nearby Coquimbo. and an area of 1,892.80 km². It is one of the fastest-growing areas of Chile, witnessing a population increase of 32.6% between 1992 and 2002. |
