Introduction Arica-Parinacota Region Tarapacá Region Antofagasta Region Atacama Region Coquimbo Region Valparaíso Region O´Higgins Region Maule Region Bío Bío Region La Araucanía Region Los Ríos Region Los Lagos Region Aysén Region Magallanes & the Chilean Antartic Region Metropolitan Region

Capital: Talca

Area: 30,296.1 km2

Population: 908,097 inhabitants (2002 Census)

Population density: 29.8 inhab/km2

Principal economic activities: Agriculture, forestry, manufacturing and electricity generation.

 

Rural life has a key role in the Maule Region which occupies the heart of the Central Valley. This is the country's most important winegrowing region, producing 50% of the fine wines that Chile exports, and several of the main vineyards have operations there.

This activity defines the region's way of life, which revolves around the grape harvest, marked with great parties or festivals in thanksgiving for the generosity of the land.

The regional capita, Talca, founded in 1742 by José Antonio Manso de Velasco, is a dynamic manufacturing, export and services center. 

The fertile lands of the basins of the Mataquito and Maule Rivers are the backbone of the region's agricultural industry. Led by winegrowing, this is its main economic activity and also has an indirect impact on other sectors such as transport and communications services that largely depend on its performance.

The second most important activity is electricity generation. Five hydroelectric plants, including the Colbún-Machicura complex, operate on the Maule River and, together with other thermal plants in the region, have a total generating capacity of 4,952.3 gigawatts/hour.

In addition to winegrowing, the region has also developed other agricultural activities, principally fruit farming, market gardening and flower production, that target export markets.

Eucalyptus and radiata pine plantations predominate in the forestry sector and the region is an important producer of wood pulp, which is one of its main exports.

The region offers a variety of investment opportunities. As well as the know-how and experience that already exist in export sectors, four new initiatives have helped to broaden these opportunities: the construction of the Ancoa reservoir, a Business Incubator Program focusing on telematics, the completion of the Ruta del Mar coastal road and the construction of the Arco Oriente road which will facilitate the development of tourism and agriculture in the Andes foothills.

Another key project in the region is the development of the Pehuenche bilateral corridor to Argentina, connecting with the Camino de la Fruta (Fruit Highway) to the San Antonio port.

The Valley of Curicó (“black water” in the language of the indigenous Mapuches) is considered the “center of gravity” of Chile's wine industry, due to its large number of vineyards. Wine production is a traditional activity in this area and there are vineyards that date back to as early as 1830.

 

Coordinates and area

The region stretches between 34°41'S and 36°33'S and from 70°20'W to the Pacific Ocean. According to the Military Geographic Institute (IGM), it has an area of 30,296.1 km2. 

 

Land formation

The main land formations are the coastal plains; the Cordillera de la Costa; the Intermediate Depression with the shape of a cone that broadens towards the south into a rolling plain with a climate and soil conditions that have encouraged settlement; the Andes foothills which, with their steep slopes and deep river gullies, are difficult to access and are sometimes referred to as the “Mountain”; and the Andes Mountains, which are considerably lower than in regions to the north, reaching an average height of less than 4,000 meters.

 

Climate

The prevailing climate is Mediterranean, with some variations from north to south and depending on altitude. 

 

Water resources

The Maule Region has two main water systems, the Mataquito River in the north and the Maule River in the center. The former is of a mixed type and is fed by the Teno and Lontué Rivers while the Maule, one of Chile's most important rivers, has a basin that covers 20,300 km2 and an average outflow of 467 m3/second. It rises in the Andes and, in its higher reaches, is joined by the Puelche, Los Cipreses, Claro and Melado Rivers and, in the Central Valley, by the Loncomilla River. When it reaches the sea in Constitución, it has a width of 200 meters. Its waters are used for agricultural irrigation but it is principally important as a source of hydroelectricity in the 101,400-kW Cipreses plant and the 68,000-kW Isla plant.

 

Population

According to the 2002 Census, the region had a population of 908,097 inhabitants of whom 452,988 were men and 455,109 were women. Between 2000 and 2005, the population expanded at an estimated mean annual rate of 0.79%. 

 

Economic sectors

The region specializes in agricultural activity which, in recent years, has shifted towards the production of wood and its derivatives and fruit for export. It is also noted for the production of rice, sugar beet and beans. 

 

Administrative divisions

REGIONAL CAPITAL	PROVINCES	MUNICIPALITIES
Talca	Curicó	Curicó Teno Romeral Molina Sagrada Familia Hualañé Licantén Vichuquén Rauco
	Talca	Talca Pelarco Río Claro San Clemente Maule Empedrado Pencahue Constitución Curepto San Rafael
	Linares	Linares Yerbas Buenas Colbún Longaví Parral Retiro Villa Alegre San Javier
	Cauquenes	Cauquenes Pelluhue Chanco

Foreign Direct Investment DL 600 Statistics in Maule Region (1974 - 2008), (Excel, 38 Kb.)

You may find information about this Region in the following websites (spanish):

- Gobierno Regional
- TodoChile
- ProChile
- Corfo
- Servicio de Impuestos Internos
- Gobierno de Chile
- Cámara Chilena de la Construcción
- Servicio Nacional de Turismo

Also, in the National Statistics Bureau Website you may find more regional information (spanish): Census, Regional Economic Reports, Territorial Publications, Projects, Statistics and other Publications.