The Maule Region (, ) is one of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

's 16 first order

administrative divisions Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

. Its

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

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 important ...

. 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 Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

, 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, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

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 Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

; on the east by the

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

; on the north by the

O'Higgins Region The Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region (, ), often shortened to O'Higgins Region (), is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquel ...

, and on the south by the

Ñuble Region The Ñuble Region (, ) officially the Region of Ñuble (), is — since 5 September 2018 – one of Chile's sixteen regions of Chile, regions. It spans an area of , making it the smallest region in Chile in terms of area, and is administratively ...

. From west to east, the region extends from the Pacific coast over the

Chilean Coast Range The Chilean Coastal Range () is a mountain range that runs from north to south along the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of South America parallel to the Andes, Andean Mountains, extending from Morro de Arica in the north to Taitao Peninsula, where ...

(Cordillera de la Costa) to include a portion of the

Chilean Central Valley The Central Valley (), Intermediate Depression, or Longitudinal Valley is the depression between the Chilean Coastal Range and the Andes Mountains. The Chilean Central Valley extends from the border with Peru to Puerto Montt in southern Chile, wi ...

, and the

mountains from the foothills to the crest. 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, inv ...

Chilean wine palm ''Jubaea'' is a genus of palms with one species, ''Jubaea chilensis'', commonly known in English as the Chilean wine palm or Chile cocopalm, and palma chilena in Spanish. It is native to southwestern South America and is endemic to a small area ...

(''Jubaea chilensis'') is found in a very limited distribution that includes the Maule Region. The limited-range and endangered trees ''

Nothofagus alessandrii ''Nothofagus alessandrii'', commonly known as the ruil, is a species of plant in the family Nothofagaceae, it is also known as the southern beeches. It is endemic to Chile, occurring chiefly in the Chilean matorral ecoregion. It is threatened b ...

'' and ''

Gomortega keule ''Gomortega keule'' (syn. ''G. nitida''; Spanish names ''keule'', ''queule'', and ''hualhual'') is a species of tree endemic to Chile. It is the sole species of the genus ''Gomortega'' and, according to the APG IV system of 2016 (unchanged from t ...

'' are also found in the region. Protected areas in the region include

Altos de Lircay National Reserve Altos de Lircay National Reserve is a nature reserve located in Talca Province, Maule Region, Chile. It lies in a pre-Andean area close to Radal Siete Tazas National Park, as well as the Descabezado Grande and Cerro Azul (Chile volcano), Cerro A ...

, Federico Albert National Reserve,

Laguna Torca National Reserve Laguna Torca National Reserve is a national reserve of Chile's Maule Region.World Database on Protected ...

, Los Bellotos del Melado National Reserve, Los Queules National Reserve, Los Ruiles National Reserve, and Radal Siete Tazas National Park.

Demography

According to the 2017

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, the population of the region was 1,033,197. With one third of its population living 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 are typically desc ...

s, 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 and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

and

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, 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 Mapuche ( , ; from 'land' and 'people', meaning 'the people of the land') or Mapudungun (from 'land' and 'speak, speech', meaning 'the speech of the land'; also spelled Mapuzugun and Mapudungu) is either a language isolate or member of the s ...

, 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 Colbún (Mapudungun: "Cleaning of the land") is a Chilean town and commune in Linares Province, Maule Region. The commune has a population of over 17,000 inhabitants and covers an area of , making it the province's largest. Its capital, the town ...

- Machicura complex.

Political divisions

The four

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of the Maule Region are divided into 30

communes A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

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

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

s, churchmen, musicians and

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

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 novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

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 (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, prov ...

s in the Maule region) have several

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

es of particular beauty and architectural and historic value.

27 February 2010 earthquake and aftermath

At 03:34 local time (06:34

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

), an 8.8 magnitude

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

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 , ) 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 underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

Cauquenes Cauquenes, a city and commune in Chile, is the capital of the Cauquenes Province and is located in the Maule Region. History According to the historical records of Alonso de Ercilla, Cauquenes was originally inhabited by an indigenous community ...

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 Curicó Province () is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). Its capital is the city of Curicó. It lies between the provinces of Colchagua and Talca and extends from the Pacific to the Argentine frontier, spanning ...

: Gloria Rojas *

Talca Province Talca Province () is one of four Provinces of Chile, provinces of the central Chilean Regions of Chile, region of Maule Region, Maule (VII). Its capital is the city of Talca, Chile, Talca. Administration As a province, Talca is a second-level ad ...

: María Elena Villagrán *

Linares Province Linares () is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares. Administration As a province, Cachapoal is a second-level administrative division of Chile ...

: Luis Suazo *

Cauquenes Province Cauquenes Province () 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 approximately southwest of Santiag ...

: 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 or

deputies A legislator, 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, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-nati ...

. 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 Panimávida (in Mapudungun: "hill of pumas") is a town in the Chilean commune of Colbún, Linares Province, Maule Region. Panimávida is well known in Chile for being one of the country's oldest hot springs and resort spa A destination spa ...

. Talca main comercial street.jpg,

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

References

External links

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