Chañaral Province is one of three provinces in the northern Chilean region of Atacama (III). Its capital is the small coastal town of Chañaral.

Geography and demography

According to the 2012 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 24436.2 sqkm and had a population of 28,874 inhabitants, giving it a population density of 1.3 PD/sqkm. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 22.5% (9,319 persons).

Administration

As a province, Chañaral is a second-level administrative division of Chile, which is further divided into two communes (comunas): Chañaral and Diego de Almagro. The province is administered by a presidentially appointed provincial delegate. Jorge Fernández Herrera was appointed by president Gabriel Boric.