Ovalle is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the

Coquimbo Region The Coquimbo Region ( es, Región de Coquimbo, ) is one of Chile's 16 regions (first order administrative divisions). It is bordered by Atacama to the north, Valparaíso to the south, Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

of Chile, founded in 1831 as a settlement. It has a population of more than 113,000 people. The name Ovalle was chosen to honor to Chile's vice-president,

José Tomás Ovalle José Tomás Ovalle y Bezanilla (; December 21, 1787 – March 21, 1831) was a Chilean political figure. He served twice as provisional president of Chile. Early life He was born in Santiago, the son of Vicente María Ovalle Guzmán and of María ...

. Ovalle is the capital of the

Limarí Province Limarí Province ( es, Provincia de Limarí) is one of three provinces of the Chilean region of Coquimbo Region (IV). Its capital is the city of Ovalle Geography and demography According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute ('' ...

. The city's setting is often likened to an oasis, being lush and green although surrounded by barren hills. There is a trail leading from the city that lasts roughly 50 minutes, and features relatively safe bathing and an area where dinosaur fossils can be found. On the trail is a life-sized model of a

brachiosaurus ''Brachiosaurus'' () is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic, about 154to 150million years ago. It was first described by American paleontologist Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in th ...

. The town's football club is

Deportes Ovalle Club Deportes Ovalle is a Chilean football club who currently play in the fourth level of Chilean football, the Segunda División Profesional de Chile. The club's stadium is the Estadio Municipal de Ovalle. Their main rivals are Deportes La ...

. Famous players have played for the club, including 1982 FIFA World Cup player

Rodolfo Dubó Rodolfo Dubó Segovia (born September 11, 1953) is a retired football midfielder from Chile, who represented his native country at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, wearing the number six jersey. He played for Club Deportivo Palestino and Universidad d ...

Demographics

According to the 2002

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 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 ...

, Ovalle spans an area of and has 98,089 inhabitants (47,805 men and 50,284 women). Of these, 73,790 (75.2%) lived in

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

s and 24,299 (24.8%) in

rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descr ...

s. The population grew by 15.4% (13,107 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Climate

The climate is semi-desertic with subtropical influence, with long summers and short winters. Ovalle has hot and dry summers, with temperatures in the range 22–40°C, occasionally with temperatures above 43°C. Thunderstorms can hit the city in February and March, but this happens normally in the surrounding areas of Ovalle. Winters are humid and fresh, and is when rains occur. The temperatures in winter are generally lower than nearby cities like La Serena or Punitaqui, due to cold winds that come from the Andes through the Ovalle valley. Temperatures rarely fall below -5°C, but when polar waves affect the area, temperatures can drop down to -12°C.

Administration

As a commune, Ovalle is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is Claudio Rentería Larrondo. Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Ovalle is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Pedro Velásquez ( Ind.) and Matías Walker ( PDC) as part of the 8th electoral district, (together with

Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port city, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than ...

and

Río Hurtado Río Hurtado is one of five communes in the Limarí Province of Chile's north-central IV Coquimbo Region. Administration As a commune, Río Hurtado is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by ...

). The commune is represented in the Senate by Gonzalo Uriarte ( UDI) and Jorge Pizarro Soto ( PDC) as part of the 4th senatorial constituency (Coquimbo Region).

Notable people

The pediatrician and biochemist

Hermann Niemeyer Hermann Niemeyer Fernández (26 October 1918 – 7 June 1991) was a well-known Chilean scientist he did much to establish biochemistry as a research discipline in Chile. In 1983 he received the National Science Prize for his major advances in ...

, one of the central figures in the development of

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

in Chile, was born in Ovalle in 1918. Elisa Berroeta was born in Ovalle and was a wood engraver and illustrator, active in Santiago and Paris.

Gallery

References

External links

*
Municipality of Ovalle
*
Ovallito.cl
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1831 Communes of Chile Populated places in Limarí Province Capitals of Chilean provinces 1831 establishments in Chile