Linares Province

Infobox Province Chile
region = Maule
province = Linares
capital = Linares
pop = 253,990 (2002 Census)
density =
area = 10,050
web =


gobernador =
comunas = See article

Linares is a Chilean province located in the southeastern part of Maule Region (Seventh Region of Chile). The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares.

Geography and Demography

The province is located at the very center of mainland 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. The provincial surface is 10,050 km² and the population is 253,990 (2002 Census), of which 127,063 were male and 126,927 were female. The population density is 25.3/km². 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.

Climate

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.

Economy

Thanks to the favorable climatic conditions and a good natural irrigation, the province of Linares has been able to diversify its agriculture. Also, the wine making industry has been doing big inroads both in the national and international markets. The province's major and more profitable cultivations include: cereals (rice, wheat, maize and other cereals); vegetables (tomato, cauliflower, lettuce, onion, artichoke); legumes (lentils, beans); fruits (especially kiwi, pear, apple, berries, table grapes, melons, watermelon, peach, nectarine), and sugar beet. Several varieties of quality wines are produced in the province, which is part the Maule Valley, a sub-region of the Viticultural Region of Chile's Central Valley.

Linares produces 74% of the Chilean rice, particularly in the area around Parral. The province exports wines, table grapes, kiwi, berries and several other agricultural products. The city of Linares is an important Chilean center of the sugar beet industry.

Administration

The provincial governor is Luis Suazo Roca.

Municipalities

Linares province has 8 municipalities (or "comunas"):

* Linares (the provincial capital)
* San Javier
* Villa Alegre
* Yerbas Buenas
* Colbún
* Longaví
* Retiro
* Parral

Culture

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.

Notable people born in the province of Linares

* Pablo Neruda, famous poet and Nobel Prize winner, born in Parral, Linares Province
* Juan Ignacio Molina (Abate Molina), a Chilean priest and naturalist.
* Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, 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 Palacios, noted folk musician and researcher
* Edilberto Domarchi Villagra, writer and poet
* Manuel Francisco Mesa Seco, writer and poet
* Eduardo Anguita, writer
* Rubén Campos Aragón, poet
* Max Jara, writer
* Jerónimo Lagos Lisboa, writer and poet

Related links

* [http://www.dibam.cl/subdirec_museos/maya_linares/home.asp Linares Museum of Arts and Crafts/Museo de Arte y Artesanía]
* [http://www.obispadodelinares.cl Diocese of Linares]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Linares,+Chile&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1 Aerial photo # 1 from Google Maps]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Linares,+Chile&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=-35.846483,-71.599338&spn=0.00901,0.021007 Aerial photo # 2 from Google Maps]
* [http://local.google.com/local?f=q&hl=en&q=Linares,+Chile&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=-35.834515,-71.499023&spn=0.54999,1.340332 Aerial photo # 3 from Google Maps]
* [http://www.turistel.cl/v2/secciones/mapas/ruteros/ohiggins.htm Map of Central Chile]
*http://www.descubrelinares.cl/ (in Spanish)

----