Elqui Province

Elqui Province (Provincia de Elqui) is one of three provinces in the Chilean region of Coquimbo (IV). Its capital is the city of Coquimbo.

It is named after the main river of the province: the Elqui River river.

Geography
The Elqui province has an area of 16895.1 km2, the largest province in the Coquimbo region.

Elqui is bordered on the north by the Atacama region (Huasco province), on the east by Argentina, on the south by the Limarí province and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

The main river of the province is the Elqui river that is 75 km long. In the valley of the river, fruits, including grapes, are grown.

Population
(last national census), there were 365,371 people living in the province, giving it a population density of inhabitants/km², the province of the region with more people living in it.

The largest city of the province is La Serena with a population, in 2002, of 160,148 inhabitants.

Administration
As a province, Elqui is a second-level administrative division, consisting of six communes (comunas). The city of Coquimbo serves as the provincial capital. The province is administered by a governor.



Other websites

 * Territorial division of Chile
 * Gobierno Regional de Coquimbo Official website
 * Province of Elqui website