Linares Province
Encyclopedia
Linares is one of four provinces
of the central Chile
an region of Maule
(VII). The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares
.
of Chile, governed by a provincial governor
who is appointed by the president
. The provincial governor
is Luis Suazo Roca.
and municipal council
.
Chile
, and its capital
lies 303 km south of Santiago
and 50 km south of Talca, the regional capital, in the middle of a rich agricultural and wine-growing
area.
According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute
(INE), the province spans an area of 10041.2 sqkm and had a population of 253,990 inhabitants (127,063 men and 126,927 women), giving it a population density of 25.3 PD/sqkm. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 3.1% (7,699 persons). Forty five percent of the population of the province live in rural
areas, as compared with 33% in the Maule Region and 13% in Chile as a whole. This characteristic gives Linares a special cultural and socioeconomic profile among the Chilean provinces.
Linares has a mild Mediterranean climate
. The summers are hot and mainly dry (November to March) with temperatures reaching up to 32 degrees Celsius on the hottest days. The winters (late May to mid September) tend to be rather humid and rainy, with typical maximum daily temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius, and minimum just above freezing. The rainfall is more abundant in the eastern as well as the southern part of the province (Parral
), and the effects of this are seen in the good conditions for rice cultivation
in the latter area. Irrigation
is used to a large extent.
. Also, the wine making industry has been making inroads in both national and international markets. The province's major and more profitable crops include cereals (rice
, wheat
, and maize
among them), vegetables (tomato
es, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, and artichoke
s), legumes (lentils and beans), fruit (especially kiwi
fruit, pears, apple
s, berries, table grape
s, melons, watermelons, peaches, and nectarines), and sugar beet
s. Several varieties of wine
are produced in the province, which is part of the Maule Valley, a sub-region of the viticultural
region of the Chilean Central Valley
.
Linares produces 74% of the Chilean rice crop, particularly in the area around Parral
. The province exports wine
s, table grapes, kiwi
fruit, berries, and several other agricultural products. The city of Linares is an important center of the Chilean sugar-beet
industry.
A remarkable number of writers, poets and, in general, intellectuals (see below) have been born in the province of Linares. Among them is Pablo Neruda
, the famous poet and Nobel prize
-winner, who was born in the city of Parral
. Also, the province of Linares is home to some of the best folklore
in Chile, and one of its most famous folklorists is Margot Loyola Palacios
, noted singer, composer and folklore researcher
and erudite. There are many active folklore groups in the province.
Provinces of Chile
A province is the second largest administrative division in Chile, after a region. Each region is divided into provinces. There are 54 provinces in total....
of the central Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an region of Maule
Maule Region
The VII Maule Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region takes its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,600 km2...
(VII). The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares
Linares, Chile
Linares is a Chilean city and commune located in the Maule Region and lies in the fertile Chilean Central Valley, south of Santiago and south of Talca, the regional capital...
.
Administration
As a province, Cachapoal is a second-level administrative divisionAdministrative divisions of Chile
The administrative division or territorial organization of Chile exemplifies characteristics of a unitary state. State administration is functionally and geographically decentralized, as appropriate for each authority in accordance with the law....
of Chile, governed by a provincial governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
who is appointed by the president
President of Chile
The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...
. The provincial governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
is Luis Suazo Roca.
Communes
The province comprises seventeen communes, each governed by a municipality consisting of an alcaldeAlcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
and municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
.
- LinaresLinares, ChileLinares is a Chilean city and commune located in the Maule Region and lies in the fertile Chilean Central Valley, south of Santiago and south of Talca, the regional capital...
(the provincial capital) - San JavierSan Javier, ChileSan Javier is a Chilean city and commune located in the Province of Linares, Maule Region. The city lies in the geographical center of the country, some south of Santiago, to the northwest of the provincial capital, Linares, and to the south of Talca, the regional capital...
- Villa AlegreVilla Alegre, ChileVilla Alegre a commune and city located in Linares Province, Maule Region of Chile. With , Villa Alegre is the smallest commune by area in the Maule Region. It sits above sea level.-Demographics:...
- Yerbas BuenasYerbas BuenasYerbas Buenas is a Chilean town and commune in Linares Province, Maule Region. It lies in the geographical center of the country, on the fertile central plain, some south of the national capital of Santiago, south of Talca, the regional capital and north of Linares, the provincial...
- ColbúnColbúnColbún 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 of Colbún, has 3,679 inhabitants...
- LongavíLongavíLongaví is a Chilean city and commune located in Linares Province, one of the four provinces that make up the Maule Region, in the geographical center of Chile.-Geography:...
- RetiroRetiro, ChileRetiro is a town and commune in Chile, located in Linares Province, in the seventh region of Maule.-Geography:Retiro is located to the south of Santiago, to the south of the city of Linares , and 15 km to the north of the city of Parral...
- ParralParral, ChileParral is a city and commune and in the Linares Province of central Chile's seventh region of Maule.-History:Parral was founded in 1795 by the Viceroy of Peru, Ambrosio O'Higgins...
Geography and demography
The province is located at the very center of mainlandMainland
Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and its capital
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
lies 303 km south of Santiago
Santiago
Santiago is the capital city of Chile. Santiago may also refer to:*Santiago *Santiago , a Spanish given name*Santiago!, a shortened form of the Reconquista battle cry "Santiago y cierra, España"...
and 50 km south of Talca, the regional capital, in the middle of a rich agricultural and wine-growing
Chilean wine
Chilean wine is wine made in the South American country of Chile. The region has a long viticultural history for a New World wine region dating to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought Vitis vinifera vines with them as they colonized the region. In the mid-19th century, French...
area.
According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
(INE), the province spans an area of 10041.2 sqkm and had a population of 253,990 inhabitants (127,063 men and 126,927 women), giving it a population density of 25.3 PD/sqkm. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 3.1% (7,699 persons). Forty five percent of the population of the province live in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
areas, as compared with 33% in the Maule Region and 13% in Chile as a whole. This characteristic gives Linares a special cultural and socioeconomic profile among the Chilean provinces.
Climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
. The summers are hot and mainly dry (November to March) with temperatures reaching up to 32 degrees Celsius on the hottest days. The winters (late May to mid September) tend to be rather humid and rainy, with typical maximum daily temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius, and minimum just above freezing. The rainfall is more abundant in the eastern as well as the southern part of the province (Parral
Parral, Chile
Parral is a city and commune and in the Linares Province of central Chile's seventh region of Maule.-History:Parral was founded in 1795 by the Viceroy of Peru, Ambrosio O'Higgins...
), and the effects of this are seen in the good conditions for rice cultivation
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
in the latter area. Irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
is used to a large extent.
Economy
Thanks to favorable climatic conditions and good natural irrigation, the province of Linares has been able to diversify its agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Also, the wine making industry has been making inroads in both national and international markets. The province's major and more profitable crops include cereals (rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, and maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
among them), vegetables (tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, and artichoke
Artichoke
-Plants:* Globe artichoke, a partially edible perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean* Jerusalem artichoke, a species of sunflower with an edible tuber...
s), legumes (lentils and beans), fruit (especially kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
fruit, pears, apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s, berries, table grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s, melons, watermelons, peaches, and nectarines), and sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
s. Several varieties of wine
Chilean wine
Chilean wine is wine made in the South American country of Chile. The region has a long viticultural history for a New World wine region dating to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought Vitis vinifera vines with them as they colonized the region. In the mid-19th century, French...
are produced in the province, which is part of the Maule Valley, a sub-region of the viticultural
Chilean wine
Chilean wine is wine made in the South American country of Chile. The region has a long viticultural history for a New World wine region dating to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought Vitis vinifera vines with them as they colonized the region. In the mid-19th century, French...
region of the Chilean Central Valley
Chilean Central Valley
The Central Valley , Intermediate Depression or Longitudinal Valley is the depression between the Chilean Costal Range and the Andes Mountains. The central valley should not be confused with Central Chile that encompasses part of the valley...
.
Linares produces 74% of the Chilean rice crop, particularly in the area around Parral
Parral, Chile
Parral is a city and commune and in the Linares Province of central Chile's seventh region of Maule.-History:Parral was founded in 1795 by the Viceroy of Peru, Ambrosio O'Higgins...
. The province exports wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s, table grapes, kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
fruit, berries, and several other agricultural products. The city of Linares is an important center of the Chilean sugar-beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
industry.
Culture
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
, the famous poet and Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winner, who was born in the city of Parral
Parral, Chile
Parral is a city and commune and in the Linares Province of central Chile's seventh region of Maule.-History:Parral was founded in 1795 by the Viceroy of Peru, Ambrosio O'Higgins...
. Also, the province of Linares is home to some of the best folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
in Chile, and one of its most famous folklorists is Margot Loyola Palacios
Margot Loyola
Margot Loyola Palacios is a musician, folk singer and researcher of the folklore of Chile and Latin America in general.Loyola has been active as a musician and musical ethnographer/anthropologist for many decades...
, noted singer, composer and folklore researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
and erudite. There are many active folklore groups in the province.
Notable people born in the province of Linares
- Pablo NerudaPablo NerudaPablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
, famous poet and Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner, born in ParralParral, ChileParral is a city and commune and in the Linares Province of central Chile's seventh region of Maule.-History:Parral was founded in 1795 by the Viceroy of Peru, Ambrosio O'Higgins...
, Linares Province - Juan Ignacio MolinaJuan Ignacio MolinaFr. Juan Ignacio Molina was a Chilean Jesuit priest, naturalist, historian, botanist, ornithologist and geographer...
(Abate Molina), a Chilean priest and naturalist. - Carlos Ibáñez del CampoCarlos Ibáñez del CampoGeneral Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...
, Army General and twice the President of Chile; - Arturo Alessandri Palma, politician, statesman and twice the President of Chile
- Valentin Letelier, educator, writer and politician
- Margot Loyola PalaciosMargot LoyolaMargot Loyola Palacios is a musician, folk singer and researcher of the folklore of Chile and Latin America in general.Loyola has been active as a musician and musical ethnographer/anthropologist for many decades...
, noted folk musician and researcher - Edilberto Domarchi Villagra, writer and poet
- Manuel Francisco Mesa Seco, writer and poet
- Eduardo AnguitaEduardo AnguitaEduardo Anguita Cuéllar was a Chilean poet, who was awarded the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 1988.- Life :...
, writer - Rubén Campos Aragón, poet
- Max JaraMax JaraMaximiliano Jara Troncoso Hollow , better known as Max Jara, was a Chilean poet. He won the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 1956....
, writer - Jerónimo Lagos LisboaJerónimo Lagos LisboaJerónimo Lagos Lisboa was a Chilean poet.He was born in San Javier de Loncomilla, Linares Province, Maule Region, Chile, in 1883. He was a president of the Chilean Writers Society. He was awarded several poetry prizes, among them the Municipality of Santiago Poetry Award for his works "Tiempo...
, writer and poet
External links
- Linares Museum of Arts and Crafts
- Official website of the Diocese of LinaresDiocese of Linares, ChileThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Linares, or "Diócesis de San Ambrosio de Linares", was established in Linares, Chile by Pope Pius XI on October 18, 1925 by means of the Bulla Notabiliter Aucto....
- Discover Linares - commercial site