O'Higgins Region

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The VI O'Higgins Region (Spanish: VI Región del Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins) is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Rancagua. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, one of Chile's founding fathers.

The O'Higgins Region is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by the Republic of Argentina, to the north by the Valparaíso and Santiago Metropolitan Regions, and to the south by the Maule Region. It extends approximately between the parallels of 33°51’ and 35°01’ south latitude, and between the meridian of 70°02’ west longitude and the Pacific Ocean. The surface area, calculated by the Chilean Military Institute of Geography, is 16,387 square kilometres. ^[1]

Contents 1 Early inhabitants 2 Government and Administration 2.1 Government 2.2 Administration 3 Demographics and cities 4 Regional Festivals 5 References 6 External links 6.1 English language links 6.2 Spanish language links

[edit] Early inhabitants

See also: History of Chile

From 9000 BCE to 300 BCE (the Archaic Period), the humans who inhabited the region moved between the coast and the valley as well as the Andes. At sites such as Pichilemu, Cáhuil and Bucalemu, they left trash deposits or shell middens bearing testimony to their raids^{[citation needed]}. During the Agroalfarero Period (300 BCE - 1470 CE), the inhabitants experienced changes in their way of life, the most important being the cultivation of vegetables and the manufacture of clay objects. From 600 CE onwards, they started cultivating beans, maize, squashes, pumpkins and Quinoa^{[citation needed]}. All of these except Quinoa and some types of maize required irrigation, which prompted them to move to the banks of creeks and rivers. During this period, groups of people lived in Quincha houses with straw roofs, in the vicinity of irrigation channels and horticulture crops, a style of life attributable to the Promaucaes or Picunches and to the Chiquillanes. During the Colonial Period (1541 CE to 1811 CE), the region became dominated, like the rest of the country, by the Spanish, and a system of ranching became predominant^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Government and Administration

See also: List of communes in Chile

This section does not cite any references or sources. (October 2007) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

For purposes of interior administration, the O'Higgins region is divided into three provinces:

• Cachapoal Province, capital: Rancagua,
• Colchagua Province, capital: San Fernando,
• Cardenal Caro Province, capital: Pichilemu.

For the purposes of local administration, the provinces are divided into 33 communes.

The O'Higgins electoral region corresponds to 9th Senatorial Constituency and is grouped with Districts 32, 33, 34 and 35.

[edit] Government

The region is governed by an intendant, who is appointed by the president. Héctor Huenchullán is the current intendant (2007).

The government and administration of the provinces are in the hands of three governors, who are named by the president.

[edit] Administration

The administration of the region rests with the regional government, which is headed by the intendant and the regional council (Consejo Regional de Chile). The latter comprises sixteen regional administrators, who are elected indirectly (ten from Cachapoal, four from Colchagua, and two from Cardenal Caro).

The local administration of each commune is in the hands of its municipality.

Politico-administrative divisions of the O'Higgins Region

Province Capital Commune Cachapoal Rancagua 1 Codegua 2 Coínco 3 Coltauco 4 Doñihue 5 Graneros 6 Las Cabras 7 Machalí 8 Malloa 9 Mostazal 10 Olivar 11 Peumo 12 Pichidegua 13 Quinta de Tilcoco 14 Rancagua 15 Rengo 16 Requínoa 17 San Vicente de Tagua Tagua Cardenal Caro Pichilemu 18 La Estrella 19 Litueche 20 Marchihue 21 Navidad 22 Paredones 23 Pichilemu Colchagua San Fernando 24 Chépica 25 Chimbarongo 26 Lolol 27 Nancagua 28 Palmilla 29 Peralillo 30 Placilla 31 Pumanque 32 San Fernando 33 Santa Cruz

[edit] Demographics and cities

See also: List of cities in Chile#O'Higgins Region

The O'Higgins region contains a large part of the rural population (surpassed only by the Maule Region). Amongst the highly populated cities, Rancagua (206,971 inhabitants) stands out for having been transformed, in recent times, into an outskirt of Santiago. According to the census of 2002, ^[2] other densely populated cities are: San Fernando (49,519 inhabitants); Rengo (30,891); Machalí (23,920); Graneros (21,616); San Vicente de Tagua Tagua (18,914); Santa Cruz (18,603); Chimbarongo (13,795); San Francisco de Mostazal (12,037); Pichilemu (9,027).

[edit] Regional Festivals

Anniversaries

Date	English Name	Spanish Name	Notes
1-2 October	Disaster of Rancagua	Desastre de Rancagua	In memory of the Battle of Rancagua which occurred in 1814

[edit] References

1. ^ "Historical review of the Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins Region" O'Higgins Regional Government
2. ^ "Chile: Proyecciones y Estimaciones de Población. Total País 1950-2050" Instituto National de Estadísticas (INE)

[edit] External links

[edit] English language links

• "The Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins Region" at the Chilean government website
• Regional government of the O'Higgins Region

[edit] Spanish language links

• VI.cl: Portal de la Sexta Región (Portal for the Sixth Region)
• Portal turístico de Pichilemu, Región de O'Higgins (Tourist portal of Pichilemu, O'Higgins Region)

v • d • e Regions of Chile Arica and Parinacota • Tarapacá • Antofagasta • Atacama • Coquimbo • Valparaíso • O'Higgins • Maule • Biobío • Araucanía • Los Ríos • Los Lagos • Aisén • Magallanes • Santiago Metropolitan