San Rafael, Chile


San Rafael is a town and commune of the Talca Province in the Maule Region of Chile. The town serves as the communal capital.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, San Rafael spans an area of and has 7,674 inhabitants. Of these, 3,482 lived in urban areas and 4,192 in rural areas. The population grew by 6.5% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, San Rafael is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Patricio Poblete Yáñez.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Rafael is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Pablo Lorenzini and Pedro Pablo Alvarez-Salamanca as part of the 38th electoral district,. The commune is represented in the Senate by Juan Antonio Coloma Correa and Andrés Zaldívar Larraín as part of the 10th senatorial constituency.