Country Chile Founded 1831 Demonym(s) Ovallean Area 3,834 km² Province Limarí Province | Region Coquimbo Elevation 215 m (705 ft) Time zone CLT (UTC−4) Local time Tuesday 11:48 AM Team Deportes Ovalle | |
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Weather 21°C, Wind W at 11 km/h, 54% Humidity Points of interest Bosque de Fray Jorge National, Cordillera de Talinay, Museo del Limari | ||
Ovalle is a city in the Coquimbo Region of Chile, founded in 1831 as a settlement of more than 113,000 people. The name Ovalle was chosen to honor to Chile's vice-president José Tomás Ovalle. Ovalle is the capital of the Limarí Province.
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Map of Ovalle, Coquimbo Region, Chile
The city's setting is often likened to an oasis, being lush and green although surrounded by barren hills.
There is a trail leading from the city that lasts roughly 50 minutes, and features relatively safe bathing and an area where dinosaur fossils can be found. On the trail is a life-sized model of a brachiosaurus.
The town's club is Deportes Ovalle. Famous players have played for the club, including 1982 FIFA World Cup player Rodolfo Dubó.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Ovalle spans an area of 3,834.5 km2 (1,481 sq mi) and has 98,089 inhabitants (47,805 men and 50,284 women). Of these, 73,790 (75.2%) lived in urban areas and 24,299 (24.8%) in rural areas. The population grew by 15.4% (13,107 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a commune, Ovalle is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is Claudio Rentería Larrondo.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Ovalle is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Pedro Velásquez (Ind.) and Matías Walker (PDC) as part of the 8th electoral district, (together with Coquimbo and Río Hurtado). The commune is represented in the Senate by Gonzalo Uriarte (UDI) and Jorge Pizarro Soto (PDC) as part of the 4th senatorial constituency (Coquimbo Region).