Petorca Province Provincia de Petorca
Province
Seal
Location in the Valparaíso Region
Petorca Province Location in Chile
Coordinates: 32°22′S 71°06′W / 32.367°S 71.100°W / -32.367; -71.100
Country	Chile
Region	Valparaíso
Capital	La Ligua
Communes	List of 5: La Ligua Cabildo Zapallar Papudo Petorca
Government
• Type	Provincial
• Presidential Provincial Delegate	Luis Soto Pérez (Ind.)
Area [1]
• Total	4,588.9 km2 (1,771.8 sq mi)
• Rank	1
Population  (2012 Census)[1]
• Total	72,286
• Rank	7
• Density	16/km2 (41/sq mi)
• Urban	50,289
• Rural	20,321
Sex [1]
• Men	35,647
• Women	34,963
Time zone	UTC-4 (CLT[2])
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (CLST[3])
Area code	56 +
Website	Delegation of Petorca

Petorca Province (Spanish: Provincia de Petorca) is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso (V). Its capital is the city of La Ligua.

Administration

As a province, Petorca is a second-level administrative division, governed by a provincial delegate who is appointed by the president.

Communes

The province comprises five communes (Spanish: comunas), each governed by a municipality consisting of an alcalde and municipal council:

• La Ligua
• Cabildo
• Zapallar
• Papudo
• Petorca

Geography and demography

The province spans an area of 4,588.9 km² (1,772 sq mi), the largest in the Valparaíso Region. According to the 2002 census, Petorca is the second least populous province in the region under Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) with a population of 70,610. At that time, there were 50,289 people living in urban areas, 20,321 people living in rural areas, 35,647 men and 34,963 women.^[1]