Arauco Province


Arauco Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Bío Bío. It spans a coastal area of just south of the mouth of the Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major natural regions, Zona Central and Zona Sur. The province originally covered the once-independent indigenous territory of Araucanía, but this was afterward divided into four provinces. It is devoted largely to agricultural pursuits. The capital Lebu is situated on the coast about south of Concepción with which it is connected by rail.

Administration

As a province, Arauco is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed by a provincial governor who is appointed by the president.

Communes

The province is composed of seven communes, each governed by a municipality consisting of an elected alcalde and municipal council.
  1. Arauco
  2. Cañete
  3. Contulmo
  4. Curanilahue
  5. Lebu
  6. Los Álamos
  7. Tirúa

    Geography and demography

According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, the province spans an area of and had a population of 157,255 inhabitants, giving it a population density of. Of these, 117,569 lived in urban areas and 39,686 in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 5%.