Regions
Chile is divided into 13 regions, each of which is headed by an intendente appointed by the President. Every region is further divided into provinces with a Gobernador Provincial, also appointed by the President. Finally each province is divided into municipalities, which are sometimes referred to as comunas, each with its own mayor, and councilors, known as concejales elected by their inhabitants.
Each region is designated by a name and a Roman numeral, assigned from north to south (shown in the table below). In general, the Roman numeral is used, rather than the name. The only exception is the region where Santiago is situated, which is designated RM, that stands for Región Metropolitana, Metropolitan Region.
| Numeral | Name | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| I | Tarapacá | Iquique |
| II | Antofagasta | Antofagasta |
| III | Atacama | Copiapo |
| IV | Coquimbo | La Serena |
| V | Valparaíso | Valparaiso |
| VI | O'Higgins | Rancagua |
| VII | Maule | Talca |
| VIII | Bío-Bío | Concepción |
| IX | Araucanía | Temuco |
| X | Los Lagos | Puerto Montt |
| XI | Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo | Coyhaique |
| XII | Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena | Punta Arenas |
| RM | Santiago Metropolitan Region | Santiago |
In 2006, the Chilean congress created two new regions, one in the north, around the city of Arica, called Región XV de Arica y Parinacota (Arica-Parinacota Region), and one in the south centered around Valdivia, named Región XIV de los Ríos (Los Ríos Region), expected to be functional by mid 2007.
