Melipilla Province (Spanish: Provincia de Melipilla ) is one of six provinces of the Santiago Metropolitan Region in central Chile. It spans an area of 4,065.7 km2 (1,569.8 sq mi). Its capital is Melipilla. It had a population of 205,718 inhabitants as per the 2024 Chilean census.
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Melipilla Province
Provincia de Melipilla
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Seal
Location in the Santiago Metropolitan Region
Melipilla Province
Location in Chile
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| Coordinates: 33°44′S 71°11′W / 33.733°S 71.183°W | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Santiago Metropolitan |
| Capital | Melipilla |
| Communes |
List of 5:
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| Government | |
| • Type | Provincial |
| Area | |
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• Total
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4,065.7 km2 (1,569.8 sq mi) |
| Population
(2024 Census)
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• Total
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205,718 |
| • Density | 50.598/km2 (131.05/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (CLT[2]) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (CLST[3]) |
| Area code | 56 + 2 |
| Website | dppmelipilla |
History
editChile was re-organized into twelve regions excluding the Santiago Metropolitan Area by Law No. 575 enacted on 10 July 1974.[4] The Santiago Metropolitan Region was officially created as per Law No.3260, enacted on 3 March 1980, and was made up of six provinces including Melipilla.[5] Melipilla is derived from Mapudungun language, and means "four Pillans", where Pillan is a spirit or demon.[6][7]
Geography
editMelipilla Province is one of the six provinces of the Santiago Metropolitan Region in Chile.[8][9][10] It covers an area of 4,065.7 km2 (1,569.8 sq mi),[1] and occupies nearly 26% of the area of the metropolitan region.[10] About 85% of the land area of the province belongs to the Maipo and Rapel River basins, while the remaining are coastal areas.[11] About 63,000 ha (160,000 acres) of the province is covered by forests, which forms sixteen percent of the total land area.[12]
The region has a warm Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csb) with an average annual temperature of 16.24 °C (61.23 °F), and an average precipitation of 3.3 cm (1.3 in) annually.[13]
Administration
editAs a province, Melipilla is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed by a provincial governor.[9][14] It is further subdivided into five communes (comunas)–Curacaví, María Pinto, Melipilla, San Pedro, and Alhué.[9][10][11] The city of Melipilla serves as the capital of the province.[10][15]
Demographics
editAccording to the 2024 Chilean census, the province had a population of 205,718 inhabitants. The population consisted of 104,615 females (50.9%) and 101,103 males (49.1%). About 19.2% of the population was below the age of 15 years, 66.3% belonged to the age group of 15–64 years, and 14.5% was aged 65 years or older. The province had an urban population of 124,588 inhabitants (60.6%) and a rural population of 81,130 inhabitants (39.4%).[16][17]
Most of the residents were born in Chile, accounting for 190,655 inhabitants (92.7%). Indigenous people formed 12,643 inhabitants (6.1%) of the population, while 193,058 inhabitants (93.9%) identified themselves as non-indigenous. Roman Catholics formed the largest religious group with 108,357 adherents (65.6%), followed by Evangelicals or Protestants with 19,458 adherents (11.8%), and 32,836 inhabitants (19.9%) indicating no religious affiliation.[16] Food processing, cheese production, and wine making are the major industries in the region.[10]
References
edit- 1 2 "Territorial division of Chile" (PDF) (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ↑ "Chile Time". World Time Zones. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
- ↑ "Chile Summer Time". World Time Zones. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ↑ "Decreto Ley 575 del 14 de julio de 1974" [Decree Law 575 of 14 July 1974]. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ "Establece regimen de gobierno y administracion de la region metropolitana de Santiago" [Establishes the government and administration system of the Santiago metropolitan region]. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ↑ "Melipilla". Definition-of. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "Melipilla". Cybo. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "Santiago Region". Britannica. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Administrative division of Chile". City Population.de. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Conozca la provincia" [About the province]. Ministry of the Interior (Chile). Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Provincia details, Melipilla Provincia" [Details of the Province, Melipilla Province]. Ministry of the Interior (Chile) (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "Melipilla Province". Global Forest Watch. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ "Melipilla". Weather and Climate. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ↑ "Gobierno de Chile: Gobernadores". Government of Chile (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ↑ "Province of Chile". Statoids. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Melipilla Province". City Population.de. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Chilean Census 2024, Results. National Statistics Institute (Chile) (Report). Retrieved 1 April 2026.