Provinces of Chile

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Provinces of Chile
Provincias de Chile (Spanish)
CategoryUnitary unit
Location Chile
Number56
Populations3,156 (Parinacota) – 4,997,637 (Santiago Province)
Areas164 km2 (63.2 sq mi) (Easter Island) - 67,813 km2 (26,182.9 sq mi) (Antofagasta)
Government
Subdivisions

A province is a second-level administrative division in Chile. There are 56 in total. The top-level administrative division in Chile is the region. There are 16 in total.

Each provincial presidential delegation (delegación presidencial provincial) is headed by a provincial presidential delegate (delegado presidencial provincial) appointed by the President. The governor exercises their powers in accordance with instructions from the regional presidential delegate (delegado presidencial regional). The provincial delegate is advised by the Provincial Economic and Social Council (Consejo Económico y Social Provincial or CESPRO). No provincial presidential delegations exist in those provinces where the regional capital is located; its functions were merged with those of the regional presidential delegate.

The country's provinces are further divided into 346 communes which are administered by an alcalde and municipal council.

Until 1976, the 25 provinces were the broadest administrative division in Chile. They were: Aconcagua, Aysén (since 1929), Antofagasta, Arauco, Atacama, Biobío, Cautín, Chiloé, Colchagua, Concepción, Coquimbo, Curicó, Linares, Llanquihue, Magallanes (since 1929), Malleco, Maule, Ñuble, O'Higgins, Osorno (since 1940), Santiago, Talca, Tarapacá, Valdivia, and Valparaíso. Despite being claimed by Chile, Antártica Chilena is not generally recognized as part of Chile due to being located in Antarctica.

List of provinces[edit]

The following table gives each province, its capital, surface area and 2002 population according to the National Statistics Institute.

INE
Region
Natural
Region
Region Province Capital No. of
Communes
Area[1][2] 2002[1][2]
Population
North Far North Chile Arica and Parinacota (XV) Arica Arica 2 8,726.4 186,488
Parinacota Putre 2 8,146.9 3,156
Tarapacá (I) Iquique Iquique 2 2,835.3 216,419
Tamarugal Pozo Almonte 5 39,390.5 22,531
Antofagasta (II) Antofagasta Antofagasta 4 67,793.5 318,779
El Loa Calama 3 41,999.6 143,689
Tocopilla Tocopilla 2 16,236 31,516
Near North Chile Atacama (III) Copiapó Copiapó 3 32,538.5 155,713
Huasco Vallenar 4 18,201.5 66,491
Chañaral Chañaral 2 24,436.2 32,132
Coquimbo (IV) Elqui La Serena 6 16,894.8 365,371
Limarí Ovalle 5 13,553.2 156,158
Choapa Illapel 4 10,131.6 81,681
Central North Central Chile Valparaíso (V) Isla de Pascua Hanga Roa 1 163.6 3,791
Los Andes Los Andes 4 3,217.7 95,474
Marga Marga Quilpué 3 927.2 263,420
Petorca La Ligua 6 4,736.4 71,243
Quillota Quillota 6 1,344.9 190,022
San Antonio San Antonio 6 1,611.6 136,594
San Felipe de Aconcagua San Felipe 6 2,659.2 131,911
Valparaíso Valparaíso 6 1,999.1 651,188
O'Higgins (VI) Cachapoal Rancagua 17 7,384.2 542,901
Colchagua San Fernando 10 5,678 196,566
Cardenal Caro Pichilemu 6 3,324.7 41,160
Santiago Metropolitan (XIII) Santiago Santiago 32 2,090.3 4,668,473
Cordillera Puente Alto 3 5,528.3 522,856
Maipo San Bernardo 4 1,120.5 378,444
Talagante Talagante 5 582.3 217,449
Melipilla Melipilla 5 4,076.7 141,165
Chacabuco Colina 3 2,076.1 132,798
South Central Chile Maule (VII) Talca Talca 10 9,937.8 352,966
Linares Linares 8 10,041.2 253,990
Curicó Curicó 9 7,280.9 244,053
Cauquenes Cauquenes 3 3027.2 57,088
Ñuble (XVI) Diguillín Bulnes 9 5,229.3 319,809
Punilla San Carlos 5 5,202.5 98,596
Itata Quirihue 7 2,177.11 53,832
Biobío (VIII) Concepción Concepción 12 3,439.3 912,889
Biobío Los Ángeles 14 14,987.9 353,315
Arauco Lebu 7 5,457.2 157,255
South South Chile Araucanía (IX) Cautin Temuco 21 18,409 667,920
Malleco Angol 11 13,433.3 201,615
Los Ríos (XIV) Valdivia Valdivia 8 10,197.2 259,243
Ranco La Unión 4 8,232.3 97,153
Los Lagos (X) Llanquihue Puerto Montt 9 14,876.4 321,493
Osorno Osorno 7 9,223.7 221,509
Chiloe Castro 10 7,165.5 142,194
Palena Futaleufú 4 15,301.9 18,971
Austral Chile Aysén (XI) Coihaique Coihaique 2 12,942.5 51,103
Aysén Puerto Aysén 3 46,588.8 29,631
General Carrera Chile Chico 2 11,919.5 6,921
Capitan Prat Cochrane 3 37,043.6 3,837
Magallanes (XII) Magallanes Punta Arenas 4 36,400.8 121,675
Última Esperanza Puerto Natales 2 55,443.9 19,855
Tierra del Fuego Porvenir 3 22,592.7 6,904

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Territorial division of Chile" (PDF). Retrieved 30 December 2010.

External links[edit]