The Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean, to the east by the Republic ofArgentina, to the north by theValparaíso andSantiago Metropolitan Regions, and to the south by theMaule Region. It extends approximately between the parallels of 33° 51' and 35° 01' south latitude, and between the meridian of 70° 02' west longitude and the Pacific Ocean.
The capital and largest city of the region isRancagua. The second major town isSan Fernando.
In pre-Quaternary times extensiveNothofagus forests covered much of Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region.[8]
The Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region is part of the very restricted range of theendangeredChilean Wine Palm,Jubaea chilensis; in prehistoric times this Chileanendemic tree had a significantly larger range.[9]
From 9000BCE to 300 BCE (theArchaic Period), the humans who inhabited the region moved between the coast and the valley as well as the Andes. At sites such asPichilemu,Cáhuil andBucalemu, they left trash deposits orshell middens bearing testimony to their raids[citation needed]. During theAgroalfarero Period (300 BCE – 1470CE), the inhabitants experienced changes in their way of life, the most important being the cultivation of vegetables and the manufacture of clay objects. From 600 CE onwards, they started cultivating beans, maize,squashes, pumpkins andquinoa[citation needed]. All of these exceptquinoa and some types of maize required irrigation, which prompted them to move to the banks of creeks and rivers. During this period, groups of people lived inQuincha houses with straw roofs, in the vicinity of irrigation channels and horticulture crops, a style of life attributable to thePromaucaes orPicunches and to theChiquillanes. During theColonial Period (1541 CE to 1811 CE), the region became dominated, like the rest of the country, by the Spanish, and a system of ranching became predominant[citation needed].
The Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins region contains a large part of the rural population (surpassed only by theMaule Region). Amongst the highly populated cities,Rancagua (206,971 inhabitants) stands out for having been transformed, in recent times, into an outskirt of Santiago. It is close being located 87 km south of Santiago. It is the capital of theCachapoal Province as well the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region. According to the census of 2002,[10] other densely populated cities are:San Fernando (49,519 inhabitants);Rengo (30,891);Machalí (23,920);Graneros (21,616);San Vicente de Tagua Tagua (18,914);Santa Cruz (18,603);Chimbarongo (13,795);Pichilemu (12,392), a well-known beach resort city founded byAgustin Ross Edwards in the late 19th century; andSan Francisco de Mostazal (12,037).
The main industrial and export activity takes place at CODELCO'sEl Teniente mine, which contributes 7.7% of Chile's copper production. The ore is processed at theSewell andColón concentrator plants, smelted and refined atCaletones, and shipped from the port of San Antonio, in the Valparaíso Region. Byproducts includemolybdenum and silver.
Agriculture contributes 30.1% of the region's GDP. One out of every four hectares of fruit orchards in Chile is in the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region. The main crops are apples and pears, followed by table grapes, plums, kiwis, and nectarines.
Manufacturing activity in the region is mostly related tocopper mining,agribusiness, and food and beverages. One particular growth area is the production of fruit juices andpulp, and dehydrated fruit.
Over the past few years, there has been significant development in the forestry sector, especially plantations of eucalyptus and radiata pine.
The region is co-governed by a presidential regional delegate, who is appointed by thepresident —currently independentFabio López— and popularly-elected governor of O'Higgins,Pablo Silva Amaya, who was elected in 2021 and will serve until 2025.[11]
The administration of the region rests with theregional government which is headed by the regional governor and the regional council (Consejo Regional de Chile). The latter comprises twenty regional council members, who are popularly elected since 2013 (thirteen fromCachapoal, five fromColchagua, and two fromCardenal Caro).
This area is known as the "huaso province" after the name of the Chilean cowboy, thehuaso. Sashes and mantas – traditional items of the huaso costume – are woven inDoñihue on heavy vertical looms. Designs imitate vine leaves, bunches ofgrapes,pines andcopihues. Other designs of colored stripes are woven on horizontal looms.
The population is a mixture of both European (includingArgentine immigrants) andindigenous races and cultures, thus the region has a homogeneous culture known asChileanidad is present and amestizo imprint is evident.
The Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region was settled by Spaniards (notablyAndalusians,Basques, Aragonese andNavarrese) and other Europeans.French andItalian families established agriculture including the importantwine industry:the Wine Route is one of the main tourist attractions of theColchagua valley. Breweries can be found as well, the legacy ofGerman andSwiss immigration. Livestock herding was especially influenced byBritish,Greek andYugoslavian settlers.
^Division, Library of Congress. Federal Research (December 1994).Chile, a country study. The Division. p. 299.ISBN9780844408286. Retrieved26 July 2012.[...] the provinces of San Felipe de Aconcagua, Colchagua and Valparaíso, as well as Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region and [...]
^Thomas T. Veblen, Robert S. Hill and Jennifer Read (1996)The Ecology and Biogeography of Nothofagus Forests, Yale University Press, 403 pagesISBN0-300-06423-3
