Valparaíso Province
Valparaíso Province is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso. Its capital is the coastal city of Valparaíso.
Administration
As a province, Valparaíso is a second-level administrative division, it was governed by a provincial governor who was appointed by the president. Since 2021, however, it is directly governmed by a regional presidential delegate, also appointed by the President, because one of its communes is the regional capital.
Communes
The province comprises seven communes, each governed by a municipality consisting of an alcalde and municipal council:
History
The province was created on 1 January 1976. On March 11, 2010, the communes of Quilpué and Villa Alemana were transferred to Marga Marga Province under Law 20,368.
The province spans a coastal area of, the fourth largest in the Valparaíso Region. According to the 2002 census, Valparaíso was the most populous province in the region with a population of 651,821. At that time, there were 639,255 people living in urban areas, 12,566 people living in rural areas, 315,785 men and 336,036 women.