Parral, Chile


Parral is a city and commune in the Linares Province of Chile's Maule Region.

Geography

Parral is located south of Linares and 97 kilometers south of Talca, on the southern border of the Maule Region and Linares Province. Parral borders on the north with the communes of Longaví, Retiro and Colbún ; on the west with the coomune of Cauquenes ; on the south with the commune of Ñiquén and San Fabián and Ñuble Province ; and on the east, with the commune of San Fabián.
The commune of Parral is in area. The river Perquilauquén forms its southern border.

History

Parral was founded in 1795 by the Viceroy of Peru, Ambrosio O'Higgins. It was originally named Villa Reina Luisa del Parral in honor of the wife of Carlos IV, the King of Spain.
Parral is the birthplace of poet Pablo Neruda, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971.

Demography

The city of Parral is the second most populous city in Linares Province with a population of more than 26,000. According to the 2002 census, 26,397 live in urban areas and 11,425 in surrounding rural areas. The ratio of men to women is 101 to 100. Between the census of 1992 and that of 2002, the population of the municipality fell by 0.6%, exclusively in the rural population; the city of Parral grew by around 1,900 people. Parral has welcomed immigration from Italy and Germany.

Administration

As a commune, Parral is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Israel Urrutia Escobar.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Parral is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Guillermo Ceroni and Ignacio Urrutia as part of the 40th electoral district,. The commune is represented in the Senate by Hernán Larraín and Ximena Rincón González as part of the 11th senatorial constituency.

Attractions

Natural and historical attractions in the area include: