Tamarugal Province ( es, Provincia de Tamarugal) is one of two provinces in the northern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Tarapacá San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, also known simply as Tarapacá, is a town in the region of the same name in Chile. History The town has likely been inhabited since the 12th century, when it formed part of the Inca trail. When Spanish explorer Diego d ...

. The capital is the city of

Pozo Almonte Pozo Almonte () is a city and commune of Chile located in the interior of Atacama Desert. It has been the capital of Tamarugal Province since this province was established in 2007. The city is located at from Tacapacá Region's capital, Iquique. ...

Name

The province is named after

Pampa del Tamarugal Pampa del Tamarugal ("Plateau of the Tamarugal") is a vast plain encompassing a significant portion of the Norte Grande, Chile, and originally named for the ''Prosopis tamarugo'' trees that used to cover its surface. It is located between the para ...

. Spanish name: * Provincia de Tamarugal: Used by the government of the province. * Provincia del Tamarugal: Used by the government of Chile. Derived from the name El Tamarugal. * Provincia El Tamarugal: Derived from the name El Tamarugal.

Geography and demography

According to the 2002 census by the

National Statistics Institute National Institute of Statistics may refer to: *National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia *National Institute of Statistics of Cambodia *National Institute of Statistics and Census of Costa Rica *National Institute of Statistics and Census of Nica ...

(''INE''), the province spans an area of and had a population of 22,531 inhabitants (14,175 men and 8,356 women). It is the seventh largest and ninth least populated province in the country with a population density of . Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 63.5% (8,748 persons).

Administration

The province is administered by a presidentially appointed delegate. Luz Eliana González Millas was appointed by

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Gabriel Boric.

Communes

As a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

, Tamarugal is a second-level

administrative division of Chile 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. ...

, which is further subdivided into five communes (''comunas'').

References

External links

*
Government of Tamarugal
{{Communes in Tarapacá Region Provinces of Chile Provinces of Tarapacá Region