Parinacota Province is one of two provinces

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 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 Arica and Parinacota (XV). Its capital is Putre

Putre

Putre is a Chilean town and commune, capital of the Parinacota Province in the Arica-Parinacota Region. It is located east of Arica, at an altitude of...

. It is named after the Parinacota Volcano.

History

The Arica and Parinacota Region was created on October 8, 2007 under Law 20.175, promulgated on March 23, 2007 by 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...

 Michelle Bachelet

Michelle Bachelet

Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...

 in the city of Arica

Arica

Arica is a city in northern Chile. "Arica" may also refer to:Places* Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile* Arica Airport , Chile* Arica, Amazonas, town in Colombia* Rio Aricá-açu, tributary of the Cuiabá River south of Cuiabá, BrazilOther...

. The law divided the former Tarapacá Region

Tarapacá Region

The I Tarapacá Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It borders the Chilean Arica and Parinacota Region to the north, Bolivia's Oruro Department on the east, the Antofagasta Region on the south and the Pacific Ocean on the west. The port city of Iquique The I Tarapacá...

 into two: the northern portion became the XV Arica and Parinacota Region, and the southern portion remained the I Tarapacá Region.

Geography and demography

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 8146.9 sqkm and had a population of 3,156 inhabitants (2,106 men and 1,050 women), giving it a population density of 0.4 PD/sqkm. It is the second least populated province in the country after Antártica Chilena

Antártica Chilena Province

Antártica Chilena Province is the southernmost and one of four provinces in Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region . The capital is Puerto Williams...

 and fifth most sparsely populated province. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 17.3% (659 persons).

Administration

As a province, Parinacota is a second-level administrative division of Chile consisting of two communes: General Lagos

General Lagos

General Lagos is Chile's northernmost commune in Parinacota Province, Arica and Parinacota Region. Visviri its capital.The area, once part of Peru, was captured by Chilean forces in the War of the Pacific by its namesake and commander of Chilean troops in the Battle of Arica, General Pedro...

 in the northern portion and Putre

Putre

Putre is a Chilean town and commune, capital of the Parinacota Province in the Arica-Parinacota Region. It is located east of Arica, at an altitude of...

 in the south. The town of Putre serves as the provincial capital. The provincial government is led by governor Enrique Gaspar Ramos, who was appointed by 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...

 Sebastián Piñera

Sebastián Piñera

Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :...

.