| Regions of Chile Regiones de Chile (Spanish) | |
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| Category | Regional state |
| Location |  Chile |
| Number | 16 |
| Populations | 103,158 (Aysén) – 7,112,808 (Metropolitan Santiago) |
| Areas | 13,178.5 km2 (5,088.2 sq mi) (Ñuble) – 132,291 km2 (51,077.9 sq mi) (Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica) |
| Government |
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| Subdivisions | |
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Independent institutions |
| Chile portal |
Chile is divided into 16regions (Spanish:regiones, singularregión), which are the country's first-level administrative division. Each region is headed by a directly electedregional governor (gobernador regional) and a regional board (consejo regional).
The regions are divided intoprovinces (the second-level administrative division), each headed by a governor (gobernador) appointed by the President. There are 56 provinces in total. Provinces are divided intocommunes (the third and lowest level administrative division), which are governed bymunicipal councils.
Each region was given aRoman numeral, followed by a name (e.g.IV Región de Coquimbo, read as "fourth region of Coquimbo" in Spanish). When the regional structure was created, Roman numerals were assigned in ascending order from north to south, with the northernmost region designated as I (first) and the southernmost region as XII (twelfth). TheSantiago Metropolitan Region, located in the center of the country and home to the country's capitalSantiago, was excluded from this naming scheme and given instead the initials RM, standing forRegión Metropolitana ("Metropolitan Region" in Spanish). With the creation of regions XIV (Los Ríos Region) and XVI (Ñuble Region) in the south and XV (Arica y Parinacota Region) in the north (XIII was not used) in 2007, the north-south Roman numeral order was broken.
In February 2018, theStrengthening of Regionalization Law (Law 21074) was enacted.[1] Among other things, it removed theroman numerals from the designations.
The administrative divisions of Chile were created in 1974 and limited to 13 regions (this limitation was eliminated in 2005 via a constitutional reform). Previously, Chile was divided into 25 provinces, which were further divided into departments, and then into communes. The new territorial organization was implemented in phases with some initial "pilot regions" beginning to operate in 1974, extending the process on January 1, 1976, to the rest of the country. The Santiago Metropolitan Region began to operate in April 1980.
In December 2006, two new regions were created: the northernArica and Parinacota Region, by taking out the two northernmost provinces from theTarapacá Region; andLos Ríos Region in the south, encompassing the provinces ofValdivia, formerly part of theLos Lagos Region, andRanco, formerly part of Valdivia.[2] Both regions became operative in October 2007.
In August 2017, theÑuble Region was created from what was then theÑuble Province of theBiobío Region. The old province was divided into three new provinces:Diguillín,Punilla andItata. The new region's capital isChillán. It became operational in September 2018.[3]
Since their creation, each region is headed by anintendant (intendente) appointed by the President of Chile, and a regional board (consejo regional). The intendants count with the direct collaboration of the SEREMI (Ministerial Regional secretary) in specific matters, such as public health, education, agriculture, among others. The SEREMI are appointed by the President. According to the Strengthening of Regionalization Law, since the2020 municipal elections each intendant will be elected at the same date along with the mayors and municipal councillors, using atwo-round system. If no candidate obtains the minimum threshold 40% of the valid votes, a runoff election is held between the two candidates with the most votes, and the winner is elected by asimple majority.[4][5] Also the law will change the nameIntendant toRegional Governor (Gobernador regional). The President will appoint a Regional presidential delegate (delegado presidencial regional), who will represent the national government in the region.
The board was elected among the members of the municipal councils (consejo municipal) of each commune of the respective region. Since the2013 election the regional board members (Consejero regional) are directly elected using anopen listproportional representation, with seats allocated using theD'Hondt method. Each of the 54 provinces are headed by a governor (gobernador) appointed by the President. In 2020, the provincial governors will change their name toProvincial presidential delegate' (delegado presidencial provincial), still appointed by the President.
| Flag | Name (English/Spanish) | Capital | Area (km2) | Population (2017 census) | Density per km2 | Former number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Arica and Parinacota Región de Arica y Parinacota | Arica | 16,873.3 | 226,068 | 13.4 | XV |
 | Tarapacá Región de Tarapacá | Iquique | 42,225.8 | 330,558 | 7.83 | I |
 | Antofagasta Región de Antofagasta | Antofagasta | 126,049.1 | 607,534 | 4.82 | II |
 | Atacama Región de Atacama | Copiapó | 75,176.2 | 286,168 | 3.81 | III |
 | Coquimbo Región de Coquimbo | La Serena | 40,579.9 | 757,586 | 18.67 | IV |
 | Valparaíso Región de Valparaíso | Valparaíso | 16,396.1 | 1,815,902 | 110.75 | V |
 | Metropolitan Región Metropolitana de Santiago | Santiago | 15,403.2 | 7,112,808 | 461.77 | RM (XIII) |
 | O'Higgins Región del Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins | Rancagua | 16,387.0 | 914,555 | 55.81 | VI |
 | Maule Región del Maule | Talca | 30,296.1 | 1,044,950 | 34.49 | VII |
 | Ñuble Región de Ñuble | Chillán | 13,178.5 | 480,609 | 36.47 | XVI |
 | Biobío Región del Biobío | Concepción | 23,890.2 | 1,556,805 | 65.17 | VIII |
 | Araucanía Región de La Araucanía | Temuco | 31,842.3 | 957,224 | 30.06 | IX |
 | Los Ríos Región de Los Ríos | Valdivia | 18,429.5 | 384,837 | 20.88 | XIV |
 | Los Lagos Región de Los Lagos | Puerto Montt | 48,583.6 | 828,708 | 17.06 | X |
 | Aysén Región Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo | Coyhaique | 108,494.4 | 103,158 | 0.95 | XI |
 | Magallanes Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena | Punta Arenas | 132,291.1 | 166,533 | 1.26 | XII |
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