The Maule Region ( es, Región del Maule, ) is one of

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 eas ...

's 16 first order

administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

s. Its

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

Talca Talca () is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the city had a population of 201,142. The city is an importan ...

. The region derives its name from the

Maule River The Maule river or Río Maule ( Mapudungun: ''rainy'') is one of the most important rivers of Chile. It is inextricably linked to the country's pre-Hispanic (Inca) times, the country's conquest, colonial period, wars of Independence, modern hi ...

which, running westward from the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,600 km². The Maule river is of considerable historic interest because, among other reasons, it marked the southern limits of the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...

Geography and ecology

The region covers an area of and is bordered on the west by the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

; on the east by the

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

; on the north by the O'Higgins Region, and on the south by the Ñuble Region. There are a number of flora and fauna species present in Maule. For example, the

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

Chilean Wine Palm ('' Jubaea chilensis'') is found in a very limited distribution that includes the Maule Region. The limited distribution '' Nothofagus alessandri'' is also found in the region.

Demography

According to the 2017

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 inc ...

, the population of the region was 1,033,197. With one third of its population living in

rural 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 de ...

areas, Maule has a greater proportion of rural inhabitants than any other region of Chile. Its most populated city is the regional capital, Talca, with 235,000 inhabitants, followed by Curicó (120,700) and Linares (127,000). Other important cities are: Constitución (50,914), Parral (47,000), Cauquenes (43,000), Molina (42,000) and San Javier (40,000).

Population density

The average density of the Maule Region is 34.1 inhabitants per km², with less dense areas towards the mountains, and dense areas in the central valley.

Composition by age and sex

According to the composition pyramid of the population of the Region, those younger than fifteen years old are becoming greater in number than the adult population. The annual growth rate of the population of the Maule Region is 1.06%; this comparatively low figure arises from the low birth rate in the Region. The average life expectancy in the Region is 76.3 years.

Economy

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

, led by wine grape plantations, are the main economic activities. The Maule region is Chile's leading wine-making region, producing 50% of all the country's fine export wines, and a number of the largest vineyards are located here. Owing to its high concentration of vineyards, the Curicó Valley, which means "black water" in Mapudungun, is considered the core of Chile's wine industry. Wine-making is a traditional activity, some vineyards dating back to 1830. The increased wine-growing area is matched by the development of the industry's infrastructure, technology, and equipment. In addition to wine, two export-oriented agricultural items have emerged dynamically: fruit, vegetables and flowers. Electricity, gas and water are the second most important economic activity. The Maule River feeds five hydroelectric power plants, including the Colbún-Machicura complex.

Political divisions

The 4 provinces of the Maule Region are divided into 30 communes.

History

Heritage

The Maule Region has produced a remarkable number of famous men and women, in particular writers and poets but also, statesmen and presidents, scientists and naturalists, churchmen, musicians and

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

s, journalists and historians. Thus, the Maule river, the long and wide artery that runs through the region, has been considered Chile's

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...

river ''par excellence''. Many novels and short stories have had the river as their main background or protagonist. Several anthologies, author's dictionaries and

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

s have given their account of the cultural wealth of the region. The region boasts of many small towns and villages with well-preserved colonial rural architecture, both in the religious as well as the civil fields. The

and Linares dioceses (the two Roman

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...

s in the Maule region) have several

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

es of particular beauty and architectural and historic value.

27 February 2010 earthquake and aftermath

At 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), an 8.8 magnitude

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

occurred off the Maule coast approximately southwest of Curanipe and north-northeast of Chile's second largest city, Concepción. The earthquake lasted nearly four minutes, severely affected the region through its action and the resultant

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

. Cauquenes was damaged by the earthquake. Constitución was damaged by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Restoring power in both cities in the immediate aftermath was impossible because of damage from the tsunami.

Politics

Regional Intendant (''Intendente'')

* Rodrigo Galilea Vial

Provincial Governors

* Curicó Province: Gloria Rojas * Talca Province: María Elena Villagrán * Linares Province: Luis Suazo *

Cauquenes Province Cauquenes Province ( es, Provincia de Cauquenes) is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). The provincial capital is the city of Cauquenes. Geography and demography The provincial capital, Cauquenes, lies approxim ...

: María Angélica Sáez

Members of Parliament (''Diputados'')

The Maule Region is divided into five parliamentary districts. Each one of these returns two

members of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

deputies A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for e ...

. The table shows the district number, the municipalities encompassed in each district and the names (and party) of the respective members of parliament.

Senators (''Senadores'')

The Maule Region is divided into two senatorial circumscriptions. One (Circumscription North) is composed of the provinces of Curicó and Talca and the other by the provinces of Linares and Cauquenes. Thus, senatorial circumscription North encompasses parliamentary districts 36, 37 and 38, and senatorial circumscription South encompasses parliamentary districts 39 and 40. Each circumscription elects two senators. The table shows the circumscription name, the municipalities encompassed in each district and the names (and party) of the respective senators.

Gallery

Catedral de Linares Imagen 007.jpg, Cathedral San Ambrosio, Linares. Bride's Veil Waterfall Parque Ingles Chile1.jpg, ''Bride's Veil Waterfall'', in Molina. Siete Tazas, Maule, Chile.jpg, Siete Tazas waterfalls, in Molina. Panimávida, exterior del hotel.jpg, Thermal baths in Panimávida. Talca main comercial street.jpg,

's main commercial street. Iglesia_de_Nirivilo.jpg, Parish church of the village of Nirivilo.

References

Citations

Sources

* C. Michael Hogan (2008
''Chilean Wine Palm: Jubaea chilensis'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
* Julian Evans. 2001. ''The Forests Handbook: Applying forest science for sustainable management''. 816 pages

External links

Gobierno Regional del Maule
Official website {{Authority control Regions of Chile