| Sico Pass | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Elevation | 4,092 m (13,425 ft) [1] |
| Location | Argentina–Chile border |
| Range | Andes |
| Coordinates | 23°50′S67°15′W / 23.833°S 67.250°W Coordinates: 23°50′S67°15′W / 23.833°S 67.250°W [1] |
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Sico Pass (Spanish : Paso de Sico) is a mountain pass on the border between Argentina and Chile. The pass is located on the main divide of the Andes. Administratively, it separates the province of Salta in Argentina and the region of Antofagasta in Chile.
Spanish or Castilian is a Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain and today has hundreds of millions of native speakers in the Americas and Spain. It is a global language and the world's second-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese.
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country located mostly in the southern half of South America. Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. With a mainland area of 2,780,400 km2 (1,073,500 sq mi), Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world, the fourth largest in the Americas, and the largest Spanish-speaking nation. The sovereign state is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires, which is the federal capital of the nation as decided by Congress. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes 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 south. Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island in Oceania. Chile also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty.
The pass is served by Chile Route 23, here a paved road, and Argentina Route 51, connecting San Pedro de Atacama on the Chilean side with Catua and San Antonio de los Cobres on the Argentinian side. [1] [2] The Chile Route 23 reaches an altitude of 4,580 metres (15,030 ft) 24 km west of the border.
Chile Route 23 is a main road in the northern portion of Chile. It runs for 192.48 km (119.60 mi) from Calama to Sico Pass.
San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km (60 mi) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. It features a significant archeological museum, the R. P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, with a large collection of relics and artifacts from the region. Native ruins nearby now attract increasing numbers of tourists interested in learning about pre-Columbian cultures.
Catua is a rural municipality and village in Jujuy Province in Argentina.
