Biobío Province

Biobío Province (Spanish: Provincia de Biobío) is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío (VIII). Its capital is Los Ángeles (2002 pop. 94,716). It is bounded on the north, west and south by the provinces of Concepción, Arauco and Malleco, respectively, and on the east by Argentina. It has an area of 14,987.9 km² (5,787 sq mi) of well-wooded and mountainous country, and exports timber to a large extent. The population is 353,315 according to the census of 2002.

The great trunk railway from Santiago south to Puerto Montt crosses the western part of the province and also connects it with the port of Concepción. Los Ángeles lies 25 km (16 mi) east of this railway and is connected with it by a branch line.

History

The Province of Bio-Bío was created on October 13, 1875, as part of the Province of Araucan. In 1887, President José Manuel Balmaceda set aside the Province of Malleco. The province was then named for the Bio-Bio River which flows through it. The Province of Biobío was divided, into three departments:

As part of the process of regionalization in the 1970s, the VIII Region of Biobío was created. By Decree #1,213 of 27 of November 4, 1975, the VIII Region comprises the provinces of Biobío, Arauco, Concepción and Ñuble.

Administration

As a province, Biobío is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed by a provincial governor who is appointed by the president.

Communes

The province is composed of 14 communes, each governed by a municipality consisting of an elected alcalde and municipal council.

Geography and demography

According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 14,987.9 km² (5,787 sq mi)^[1] and had a population of 353,315 inhabitants (176,960 men and 176,355 women), giving it a population density of 23.6 /km² (61 /sq mi). It is the tenth most populated province in the country. Of these, 245,775 (69.6%) lived in urban areas and 107,540 (30.4%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 9.1% (29,405 persons).^[1]

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Bio-Bio". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} (Spanish) "Territorial division of Chile" (PDF). National Statistics Institute. 2007. http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/territorio/division_politico_administrativa/pdf/dpa_completa.pdf. Retrieved 18 March 2011. 
2. ^ "Chile Time". WorldTimeZones.org. http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-time.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
3. ^ "Chile Summer Time". WorldTimeZones.org. http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-summer-time.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-28.