Talca Province
# Talca Province

Talca Province (Spanish: Provincia de Talca) is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). Its capital is the city of Talca.

## Administration

As a province, Talca is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed by the regional delegate of Maule Region who is appointed by the president.

### Communes

The province comprises ten communes, each governed by a municipality consisting of an alcalde and municipal council.

* Talca
* San Clemente
* Pelarco
* Pencahue
* Maule
* San Rafael
* Curepto
* Constitución
* Empedrado
* Río Claro

## Geography

To the east the Andean slopes cover a considerable part of its territory, and in the west another large area is covered by the Chilean Coast Range. Between these is the central valley of Chile. The mountainous parts are well wooded, and the intermediate plain, which is rolling and slopes gently to the south, is fertile.

## Demography

According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 9,937.8 $km^2$ (3,837 sq mi) and had a population of 352,966 inhabitants (174,734 men and 178,232 women), giving it a population density of $35.5/km^2$ (92/sq mi). Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 12.4% (39,015 persons).

