Capitán Prat Province

Capitán Prat Province
Provincia de Capitán Prat
Province
Official seal of Capitán Prat Province
Seal
Location in the Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region
Location in the Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region
Location in Chile
Location in Chile
Capitán Prat Province
Location in Chile
Coordinates: 48°00′S 73°25′W / 48.000°S 73.417°W / -48.000; -73.417
CountryChile
RegionAysén
Named afterArturo Prat
CapitalCochrane
CommunesCochrane
O'Higgins
Tortel
Government
 • TypeProvincial
Area
[1]
 • Total
37,043.6 km2 (14,302.6 sq mi)
Population
 (2024 Census)[1]
 • Total
4,610
 • Density0.124/km2 (0.322/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−4 (CLT[2])
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (CLST[3])
Area code56 + 67
WebsiteGovernment of Capitán Prat

Capitán Prat Province (Spanish: Provincia de Capitán Prat) is a province in the Aysén Region of Chile. Its capital is Cochrane. Covering an area of 37,043.6 km2 (14,302.6 sq mi), it had a population of 4,610 inhabitants to the 2024 Chilean census. It is named after Arturo Prat.

History

The region was originally occupied by indigenous groups, with archeological evidence pointing to human habitation dating back 7,700 years. Cochrane was established as a settlement in 1929 by cattle ranchers, and was officially founded in March 1954.[4][5] The Aysén Region was established on July 10, 1974, by Law No. 575, which reorganised Chile into thirteen regions.[6] The region is divided into four provinces–Capitán Prat, Aysén, Coyhaique and General Carrera, which are further divided into ten communes.[7]

Geography

Capitán Prat Province is one of the four provinces of the Aysén Region in Chile.[7][8] It covers an area of 37,043.6 km2 (14,302.6 sq mi).[1] It is located in the southernmost end of the Aysén Region in the Chilean Patagonia.[4] About 45% of the land of the province is situated in the Baker and Easter River basins. Of the remaining land, 30% are coastal lands, and 25% consists of coastal islands.[9]

The province is nicknamed as "Province of Glaciers" due to the presence of mountains, ice fields, and glaciers. Major glaciers include Calluqueo, Steffen, and Jorge Montt Glaciers. Lake Cochrane National Reserve, and Patagonia National Park form part of the province. O'Higgins Lake, the deepest lake in the Americas, is located near the O'Higgins Glacier.[4]

Cochrane, located on the banks of the Baker River, is the capital of the province.[5][4] Cochrane has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csb) with an average annual temperature of 8.97 °C (48.15 °F). The region receives approximately 3.29 cm (1.30 in) of rainfall annually on average.[10]

Administration

As a province, Capitán Prat is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed by a provincial governor.[11] It is further subdivided into three communes (comunas)–Cochrane, O'Higgins and Tortel.[8][9]

Demographics

According to the 2024 Chilean census, the province had a population of 4,610 inhabitants. The population consisted of 2,379 males (51.6%) and 2,231 females (48.4%). About 19.9% of the population was below the age of 15 years, 68.6% belonged to the age group of 15–64 years, and 11.5% was aged 65 years or older. The province had an urban population of 2,703 inhabitants (58.6%) and a rural population of 1,907 inhabitants (41.4%). Most of the residents were born in Chile, accounting for 4,521 inhabitants (98.1%). Non-indigenous people formed the majority of the population with 3,376 inhabitants (73.2%), while 1,234 inhabitants (26.8%) identified themselves as belonging to indigenous groups. Roman Catholics formed the largest religious group with 1,955 adherents (53%), followed by 1,217 inhabitants (33%) indicating no religious affiliation, and Evangelicals or Protestants with 429 adherents (11.6%).[12][13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Territorial division of Chile" (PDF) (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "Chile Time". World Time Zones. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Chile Summer Time". World Time Zones. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Conozca la provincia" [Know the Province]. Ministry of the Interior (Chile) (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Cochrane". Ruta de los parques. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Decreto Ley 575 del 14 de julio de 1974" [Decree Law 575 of 14 July 1974]. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Region de Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region" [Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region]. Ministry of the Interior (Chile) (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Administrative division of Chile". City Population.de. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Provincia details, Capitán Prat Provincia" [Details of the Province, Capitán Prat Province]. Ministry of the Interior (Chile) (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Cochrane". Weather and Climate. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Gobierno de Chile: Gobernadores". Government of Chile (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  12. ↑ "Capitan Prat Province". City Population.de. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  13. ↑ Chilean Census 2024, Results. National Statistics Institute (Chile) (Report). Retrieved 1 April 2026.
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