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The administrative division or territorial organization of Chile exemplifies characteristics of a unitary state. State administration is functionally and geographically decentralized, as appropriate for each authority in accordance with the law.
For the interior government and administration within the State, the territory of the republic has been divided into 16 regions (regiones), 56 provinces (provincias) and 346 communes (comunas) since the 1970s process of reform, made at the request of the National Commission on Administrative Reform (Comisión Nacional de la Reforma Administrativa or CONARA). State agencies exist to promote the strengthening of its regionalization, equitable development and solidarity between regions, provinces and communes within the nation.
Since 2005, the creation, abolition and designation of regions, provinces and communes, the altering of their boundaries, and the establishment of the regional and provincial capitals are part of constitutional law.
The Ministries of Chile (except the Ministries of the Interior, National Defense, Foreign Affairs and Secretary General of the Presidency) are devolved to regional level, being represented by regional ministries, integrating the so-called "regional cabinet," chaired by the regional intendent.
This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (April 2010)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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The political and administrative division of Chile has had four major periods: before 1833, from 1833 to 1925, from 1925 to 1976 and from 1976 onwards.
Before 1974, Chile was divided into:
In October 2007, two new regions came into force: The I Tarapacá Region was divided laterally to create XV Arica and Parinacota Region to the north, and similarly, the X Los Lagos Region was split to create XIV Los Ríos Region to its north. Also there are plans to create a joint region between the provinces of Linares and Cauquenes by splitting the VII Maule Region.
On March 11, 2010, the creation of the Marga Marga Province gave Chile a new total of 56 provinces.
Chile is administratively divided into:
The regional government is headed by the intendant (intendente), appointed by the President of the Republic. The intendant is advised by the Regional Ministerial Secretaries (Secretaría Regional Ministerial or SEREMIs). [1]
The administration of the region lies in the regional government, constituted by the intendente and the Regional Council (Consejo Regional).
The government and administration of each province lies in the provincial governorate (Gobernación Provincial), headed by a governor (gobernador), appointed by the President of the Republic. It exercises its powers in accordance with the instructions from the regional intendant. It is advised by the Provincial Economic and Social Council (Consejo Económico y Social Provincial or CESPRO).
The only exception is the Santiago Province, which makes no provision for a provincial governorate in its regulations. Instead, the position corresponds to the intendant of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago. 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 local administration of each commune or group of communities resides in the municipality (municipalidad), consisting of an alcalde and a communal council (Consejo Comunal), elected directly for a period of 4 years renewable.
Municipalities represent the decentralization of central power. They are advised by an Economic and Social Communal Council (Consejo Económico y Social Comunal or CESCO), composed of representatives from the most important of the community's organizations and activities.
There are 346 communes and 345 municipalities, as the municipality of Cabo de Hornos manages the grouping of communities of Cape Horn and Antártica. There are proposals to create a number of new communities to be studied by the Secretariat of Regional and Administrative Development (Subsecretaría de Desarrollo Regional y Administrativo or SUBDERE).
SUBDERE continues to examine the proposed creation of the provinces of Villarrica, San Carlos, Admiral Simpson, Aconcagua and others.
Chile is divided into 16 regions, which are the country's first-level administrative division. Each region is headed by an intendant (intendente), appointed by the President of Chile, and a directly elected regional board.
An intendant was and sometimes still is a usually public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Succession of 1701 to 1714 the French royal House of Bourbon secured its hold on the throne of Spain; it extended a French-style intendancy system to Spain and Portugal - and subsequently worldwide through the Spanish Empire and Portuguese Empire. Regions were divided into districts, each administered by an intendant. The title continues in use in Spain and in parts of Spanish America for particular government officials.
The Dominican Republic is divided into thirty–one provincias, while the national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional.
Arica Province is one of two provinces of Chile's northernmost region, Arica y Parinacota. The province is bordered on the north by the Tacna Province of Peru, on the south by the Tamarugal Province in the Tarapacá Region, on the east the Parinacota Province and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is the port city of Arica.
Iquique Province is one of two provinces in the northern Chilean region of Tarapacá. Its capital is the port city of Iquique.
Antártica Chilena Province is the southernmost and one of four provinces in Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region (XII). The capital is Puerto Williams. The province comprises the extreme southern part of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, the islands south and west of Isla Grande, and Chile's claims in Antarctica. The province is administratively divided into two communes (comunas): Cabo de Hornos, located at the southern tip of South America, and Antártica, a wedge-shaped claim of Antarctica, which is not internationally recognized. Its total area of 1,265,853.7 km2 (488,749 sq mi) makes it almost twice as large as all other provinces of Chile combined.
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.
Chacabuco Province is one of six provinces of the Santiago Metropolitan Region in central Chile. It is located north of the Province of Santiago, which is entirely urbanized and part of the Santiago conurbation. The provincial capital, Colina, lies approximately 27 km (17 mi) north of Santiago.
Maipo Province is one of six provinces in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. Its capital is San Bernardo.
A commune is the smallest administrative subdivision in Chile. It may contain cities, towns, villages, hamlets as well as rural areas. In highly populated areas, such as Santiago, Valparaíso and Concepción, a conurbation may be broken into several communes. In sparsely populated areas, conversely, a commune may cover a substantial rural area together with several settled areas which could range from hamlets to towns or cities.
Talagante Province is one of six provinces of the Santiago Metropolitan Region in central Chile. The capital is the city of Talagante, located approximately 35 km (22 mi) southwest of the national capital of Santiago. The most northeastern part of the province is included in the Santiago conurbation.
San Bernardo is a city of Chile, part of the Greater Santiago conurbation. Administratively, it is a commune and the capital of the Maipo Province in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardo.
Valparaíso Province is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso (V). Its capital is the coastal city of Valparaíso.
Quillota Province is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso (V). Its capital is the city of Quillota.
Melipilla Province is one of six provinces in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. The provincial capital is the city of Melipilla.
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman provincia, which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term province has since been adopted by many countries. In some countries with no actual provinces, "the provinces" is a metaphorical term meaning "outside the capital city".
Marga Marga Province is one of the eight provinces in the central Chilean region of Valparaíso (V). Its capital is the city of Quilpué.
Llay-Llay is a town and commune in the San Felipe de Aconcagua Province of central Chile's Valparaíso Region.
Julio Diego Ibarra Maldonado is a Chilean politician. Ibarra was the Governor of Cardenal Caro Province since he was appointed by President of Chile Sebastián Piñera on March 16, 2010. He left office on March 12, 2014.
Luis Guastavino Córdova was a Chilean teacher and politician who was Intendant of the Valparaíso Region. He also served as deputy between 1965 and 1973, including Salvador Allende's Marxist government (1970−1973).
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