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 (mayor) 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.
Chile claims part of Antarctica which it includes in the Antártica Chilena province. Generally, only the South American part of that province is recognized as part of Chile.
List of provinces The following table gives each province, its capital, surface area and 2002 population according to the National Statistics Institute.
+ INERegion NaturalRegion Region Province Capital No. ofCommunes Area 2002Population 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 67,813.5 318,779 El Loa Calama 3 41,999.6 143,689 Tocopilla Tocopilla 2 16,236.0 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 16,895.1 365,371 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 3,054,1 91,683 Marga Marga Quilpué 4 1,159.0 277,525 Petorca La Ligua 6 4,588.9 70,610 Quillota Quillota 5 1,113.1 175,917 San Antonio San Antonio 6 1,511.6 136,594 San Felipe de Aconcagua San Felipe 6 2,659.2 131,911 Valparaíso Valparaíso 7 2,146.6 651,821 Santiago Metropolitan (XIII) Santiago Santiago 32 2,030.3 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 4,065.7 141,165 Chacabuco Colina 3 2,076.1 132,798 O'Higgins (VI) Cachapoal Rancagua 17 7,384.2 542,901 Colchagua San Fernando 10 5,678.0 196,566 Cardenal Caro Pichilemu 6 3,324.8 41,160 South Central Chile Maule (VII) Talca Talca 10 9,937.8 352,966 Linares Linares 8 10,050.2 253,990 Curicó Curicó 9 7,280.9 244,053 Cauquenes Cauquenes 3 3,027.2 57,088 Ñuble (XVI) Diguillín Bulnes 9 5,229.5 284,239 Punilla San Carlos 5 5,202.5 98,479 Itata Quirihue 7 2,476.5 55,385 Biobío (VIII) Concepción Concepción 12 3,439.0 912,889 Biobío Los Ángeles 14 14,987.9 353,315 Arauco Lebu 7 5,463.3 157,255 South South Chile Araucanía (IX) Cautin Temuco 21 18,409.0 667,920 Malleco Angol 11 13,433.3 201,615 Los Ríos (XIV) Valdivia Valdivia 8 10,197.2 259,243 El 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 Chiloé Castro 10 9,181.6 154,766 Palena Futaleufú 4 15,301.9 18,971 Austral Chile Aysén (XI) Coyhaique 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 Capitán Prat Cochrane 3 37,043.6 3,837 Magallanes (XII) Magallanes Punta Arenas 4 38,400.8 121,675 Última Esperanza Puerto Natales 2 55,443.9 19,855 Tierra del Fuego Porvenir 3 22,592.7 6,904 Antártica Chilena Puerto Williams 2 15,853.7 2,392
See also Administrative divisions of Chile
References
External links Decreto Ley 2.868