Dominating Plaza Prat, the main city square, the gleaming white Teatro Municipal, built in 1890 as an opera house, has a facade of Corinthian columns and statues representing the four seasons. Situated on the coast at the foot of the 800-metre coastal cordillera, Iquique is the capital of Region 1. During the nitrate boom in the 19th century Iquique became Chile's richest city.