Maule Region

The VII Maule Region (Spanish: VII Región del Maule) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca.

Maule Region (VII Región de Maule)
Region of Chile
Talca's main commercial street
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Chile
Provinces	Curicó, Talca, Linares, Cauquenes
Capital	Talca
- coordinates	35°26′S 71°40′W
Lowest point	Pacific Ocean
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Area	30,296.1 km² (11,697 sq mi)
Population	1,042,989 (2015)
Density	34 /km² (88 /sq mi)
Intendant	Pablo Meza Donoso
ISO 3166-2	CL-ML
Maule, in red, in Chile
Website: Official website (Spanish)

The region is named after its main river: the Maule river.

History

The city of Talca was founded in 1692 by General Governor Tomás Marín de Poveda. On 17 February 1742 it got the name of Villa San Agustín de Talca by Governor José Antonio Manso de Velasco. Curicó followed in 1743, Linares and Parral in 1794.

In Talca is the house where Bernardo O'Higgins signed the proclamation of the independence of Chile on 12 February 1818. It is now a museum.

Geography

The Maule region borders the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins region to the north, Argentina to the east, the Ñuble region to the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

The two main rivers in the region are the Maule and the Mataquito rivers.

Population

As of 2015, there were (estimated) 1,042,989 persons living in the region, for a population density of 34.4 inhabitants/km².

People from this region are known as Maulinos (women: Maulinas).

The largest city in the region is Talca, with 189,505 inhabitants (2002 census).

Administration

The Maule region is further subdivided into four provinces: Talca, Curicó, Linares and Cauquenes.

Maule Region - Provinces and comunas

Province	Capital	Code	Comuna	Area (km²)	Population (2002)
Talca (071)	Talca	07101	30 Talca	231.5	201,797
		07102	21 Constitución	1,343.6	46,081
		07103	22 Curepto	1,073.8	10,812
		07104	23 Empedrado	564.9	4,225
		07105	24 Maule	238.2	16,837
		07106	25 Pelarco	331.5	7,266
		07107	26 Pencahue	956.8	8,315
		07108	27 Río Claro	430.5	12,698
		07109	28 San Clemente	4,503.6	37,261
		07110	29 San Rafael	263.5	7,674
Total of Talca province				9,937.8	352,966
Cauquenes (072)	Cauquenes
		07201	1 Cauquenes	2,126.3	41,217
		07202	2 Chanco	529.5	9,457
		07203	3 Pelluhue	371.4	6,414
Total of Cauquenes province				3,027.2	57,088
Curicó (073)	Curicó
		07301	4 Curicó	1,328.4	119,585
		07302	5 Hualañé	629.0	9,741
		07303	6 Licantén	273.3	6,902
		07304	7 Molina	1,551.6	38,521
		07305	8 Rauco	308.6	8,566
		07306	9 Romeral	1,597.1	12,707
		07307	10 Sagrada Familia	548.8	17,519
		07308	11 Teno	618.4	25,596
		07309	12 Vichuquén	425.7	4,916
Total of Curicó province				7,280.9	244,053
Linares (074)	Linares
		07401	14 Linares	1,465.7	83,249
		07402	13 Colbún	2,899.9	17,619
		07403	15 Longaví	1,453.8	28,161
		07404	16 Parral	1,638.4	37,822
		07405	17 Retiro	827.1	18,487
		07406	18 San Javier	1,313.4	37,793
		07407	19 Villa Alegre	189.8	14,725
		07408	20 Yerbas Buenas	262.1	16,134
Total of Linares province				10,050.2	253,990
Total of the region				30,296.1	908,097

Related pages

• Regions of Chile

Other websites

• Territorial division of Chile (Spanish)
• Gobierno Regional del Maule Official website (Spanish)