Itata Province

The Ñuble Region was established by Law 21.033 enacted on 5 September 2017 and came into effect on 6 September 2018.^[1][2][3] It is divided into three provinces: Diguillín, Punilla and Itata Provinces, which are further divided into 21 communes.^[3]

The name Itata means "abundance of water" in Mapudungún, which is a reference to the Itata River, which crosses the province.^[4]

Itata Province is one of the three provinces of the Ñuble Region in Chile.^[3][5][6] It is spread over an area of 2,758.4 km² (1,065.0 sq mi),^[7] and has its capital at Quirihue.^[6] About 60% of the land area is part of the Itata River basin, and 12% of the area forms part of the Maule River basin, with the coastal area forming the remaining land area of the province.^[7] The province is a major wine making center in the Ñuble Region, due to the presence of the fertile Itata river valley.^[4]

The province is divided into seven communes–Quirihue, Cobquecura, Ninhue, Treguaco, Portezuelo, Coelemu, and Ránquil.^[6][7]

According to the 2024 Chilean census, Itata Province had a population of 56,734 inhabitants. The population consisted of 28,911 females (50.9%) and 27,823 males (49.1%). About 15.7% of the population was below the age of 15 years, 64.0% belonged to the age group of 15–64 years, and 20.2% was aged 65 years or older. The province had an urban population of 29,729 inhabitants (52.4%) and a rural population of 27,005 inhabitants (47.6%). Most of the residents were born in Chile, accounting for 56,435 inhabitants (99.5%). Non-indigenous people formed the majority of the population with 54,503 inhabitants (96.1%), while 2,229 inhabitants (3.9%) identified themselves as belonging to indigenous groups. Roman Catholics formed the largest religious group with 24,266 adherents (50.8%), followed by Evangelicals or Protestants with 15,041 adherents (31.5%), and 7,644 inhabitants (16%) indicating no religious affiliation.^[8][9]