Provinces of Chile


A province is the second largest administrative division in Chile with 56 in total. The largest administrative division in Chile is that of a region with 16 in total.
Each provincial government is headed by a governor appointed by the President. The governor exercises their powers in accordance with instructions from the regional intendant. The governor is advised by the Provincial Economic and Social Council. The only exception is the Santiago Province, which makes no provision for provincial government in its regulations; the position corresponds to the intendant of the Santiago Metropolitan Region. In January 2001, the Provincial Delegation of Santiago was created with the position of a Provincial Delegate, who exercises the functions of a provincial governor on behalf of the respective intendant.
The country's provinces are further divided into 346 communes which are administered by an alcalde and municipal council.
Until the 1980s, a province was the main administrative division in Chile, with 25 provinces: Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Aconcagua, Valparaíso, Santiago, O'Higgins, Colchagua, Curicó, Talca, Maule, Linares, Ñuble, Concepción, Arauco, Biobío, Malleco, Cautín, Valdivia, Osorno, Llanquihue, Chiloé, Aisén, Magallanes

List of provinces

The following table gives each province, its capital, surface area and 2002 population according to the National Statistics Institute.
INE
Region		Natural
Region		RegionProvinceCapitalNo. of
Communes		Area2002
Population
NorthFar North ChileArica and Parinacota AricaArica28,726.4186,488
NorthFar North ChileArica and Parinacota ParinacotaPutre28,146.93,156
NorthFar North ChileTarapacá IquiqueIquique22,835.3216,419
NorthFar North ChileTarapacá TamarugalPozo Almonte539,390.522,531
NorthFar North ChileAntofagasta AntofagastaAntofagasta467,793.5318,779
NorthFar North ChileAntofagasta El LoaCalama341,999.6143,689
NorthFar North ChileAntofagasta TocopillaTocopilla216,23631,516
NorthNear North ChileAtacama CopiapóCopiapó332,538.5155,713
NorthNear North ChileAtacama HuascoVallenar418,201.566,491
NorthNear North ChileAtacama ChañaralChañaral224,436.232,132
NorthNear North ChileCoquimbo ElquiLa Serena616,894.8365,371
NorthNear North ChileCoquimbo LimaríOvalle513,553.2156,158
NorthNear North ChileCoquimbo ChoapaIllapel410,131.681,681
CentralNorth Central ChileValparaíso Isla de PascuaHanga Roa1163.63,791
CentralNorth Central ChileValparaíso Los AndesLos Andes43,217.795,474
CentralNorth Central ChileValparaíso Marga MargaQuilpué3927.2263,420
CentralNorth Central ChileValparaíso PetorcaLa Ligua64,736.471,243
CentralNorth Central ChileValparaíso QuillotaQuillota61,344.9190,022
CentralNorth Central ChileValparaíso San AntonioSan Antonio61,611.6136,594
CentralNorth Central ChileValparaíso San Felipe de AconcaguaSan Felipe62,659.2131,911
CentralNorth Central ChileValparaíso ValparaísoValparaíso61,999.1651,188
CentralNorth Central ChileO'Higgins CachapoalRancagua177,384.2542,901
CentralNorth Central ChileO'Higgins ColchaguaSan Fernando105,678196,566
CentralNorth Central ChileO'Higgins Cardenal CaroPichilemu63,324.741,160
CentralSouth Central ChileMaule TalcaTalca109,937.8352,966
CentralSouth Central ChileMaule LinaresLinares810,041.2253,990
CentralSouth Central ChileMaule CuricóCuricó97,280.9244,053
CentralSouth Central ChileMaule CauquenesCauquenes33027.257,088
CentralSouth Central ChileÑuble DiguillínBulnes95,229.3319,809
CentralSouth Central ChileÑuble PunillaSan Carlos55,202.598,596
CentralSouth Central ChileÑuble ItataQuirihue72,177.1153,832
CentralSouth Central ChileBiobío ConcepciónConcepción123,439.3912,889
CentralSouth Central ChileBiobío BiobíoLos Ángeles1414,987.9353,315
CentralSouth Central ChileBiobío AraucoLebu75,457.2157,255
SouthSouth ChileAraucanía CautinTemuco2118,409667,920
SouthSouth ChileAraucanía MallecoAngol1113,433.3201,615
SouthSouth ChileLos Ríos ValdiviaValdivia810,197.2259,243
SouthSouth ChileLos Ríos RancoLa Unión48,232.397,153
SouthSouth ChileLos Lagos LlanquihuePuerto Montt914,876.4321,493
SouthSouth ChileLos Lagos OsornoOsorno79,223.7221,509
SouthSouth ChileLos Lagos ChiloeCastro107,165.5142,194
SouthSouth ChileLos Lagos PalenaFutaleufú415,301.918,971
SouthAustral ChileAysén CoihaiqueCoihaique212,942.551,103
SouthAustral ChileAysén AysénPuerto Aysén346,588.829,631
SouthAustral ChileAysén General CarreraChile Chico211,919.56,921
SouthAustral ChileAysén Capitan PratCochrane337,043.63,837
SouthAustral ChileMagallanes MagallanesPunta Arenas436,400.8121,675
SouthAustral ChileMagallanes Última EsperanzaPuerto Natales255,443.919,855
SouthAustral ChileMagallanes Tierra del FuegoPorvenir322,592.76,904
SouthAustral ChileMagallanes Antártica ChilenaPuerto Williams21,265,853.72,392
CentralNorth Central ChileSantiago Metropolitan SantiagoSantiago322,090.34,668,473
CentralNorth Central ChileSantiago Metropolitan CordilleraPuente Alto35,528.3522,856
CentralNorth Central ChileSantiago Metropolitan MaipoSan Bernardo41,120.5378,444
CentralNorth Central ChileSantiago Metropolitan TalaganteTalagante5582.3217,449
CentralNorth Central ChileSantiago Metropolitan MelipillaMelipilla54,076.7141,165
CentralNorth Central ChileSantiago Metropolitan ChacabucoColina32,076.1132,798