[freebeard]

Funny you should mention that; I just spent half the day at Amusing Planet:

These deposits were exploited by Bolivia, Chile and Peru since the 1840s. A struggle between these countries to control the nitrate-rich region eventually led to the War of the Pacific (1879–1883), also known as the Saltpeter War, in which Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia, and gained a significant amount of land from both countries. These acquisition enabled Chile to practically monopolize the production of natural nitrate. By the 1890s Chile was supplying almost 80% of the nitrogen used in the world.

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/05/the-abandoned-humberstone-and-santa.html