View source for Parral, Chile

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Parral
| native_name             =Villa Reina Luisa del Parral
| native_name_lang        = es
| settlement_type         = [[List of cities in Chile|City]] and [[Communes of Chile|Commune]]
| image_skyline           = Plaza_Parral.JPG
| imagesize               = 175px
| image_alt               =
| image_caption           =
| image_flag              = Bandera Parral Chile.png
| flag_alt                = Flag
| image_shield            = Escudo de Parral.svg
| shield_alt              = Coat of arms
| image_map               = Comuna de Parral.svg
| map_alt                 = Location of the Parral commune in the Maule Region
| map_caption             = Location of the Parral commune in the Maule Region
| pushpin_map             = Chile
| pushpin_map_narrow = yes
| pushpin_label_position  = bottom
| pushpin_map_alt         = Location in Chile
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location in Chile
| coordinates             = {{coord|36|09|S|71|50|W|region:CL-ML|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           = city
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[Chile]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Regions of Chile|Region]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Maule Region|Maule]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[Provinces of Chile|Province]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Linares Province|Linares]]
| established_title       = Founded
| established_date        = 1795
| founder                 = [[Ambrosio O'Higgins]]
| named_for               = [[Maria Luisa of Parma]]
| seat_type               = <--[[Capital (political)|Capital]]-->
| seat                    =
| government_footnotes = <ref name="Munitel">{{Cite web |url = http://www.parral.cl/ |title=Asociación Chilena de Municipalidades | accessdate=7 February 2011|language=es}}</ref>
<ref name="Official">{{Cite web |url = http://www.parral.cl/ |title=Municipality of Parral | accessdate=7 February 2011|language=es}}</ref>
| government_type         = [[Municipality]]
| leader_title            = [[Alcalde]]
| leader_party = [[Christian Democratic Party|PDC]]
| leader_name = Paula Retamal Urrutia
| unit_pref               = Metric
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="INE">{{cite web |url= http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/censos_poblacion_vivienda/censo_pobl_vivi.php |title= National Statistics Institute |accessdate=18 July 2010|language=es}}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 1638.4
| area_rank               = 
| elevation_footnotes     =
| elevation_m             = 162
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="INE"/>
| population_total        = 38922
| population_as_of        = 2012 Census
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_rank         = 
| population_blank1_title = [[Urban area|Urban]]
| population_blank1       = 26397
| population_blank2_title = [[Rural area|Rural]]
| population_blank2       = 11425
| demographics_type1      = Sex
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="INE"/>
| demographics1_title1    = Men
| demographics1_info1     = 18,963
| demographics1_title2    = Women
| demographics1_info2     = 18,859
| timezone = [[Time in Chile|CLT]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-time.htm |accessdate=2007-05-05 |title=Chile Time |publisher=WorldTimeZones.org |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911130719/http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-time.htm |archivedate=September 11, 2007 }}</ref>
| utc_offset = -4
| timezone_DST = [[Time in Chile|CLST]]<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-summer-time.htm 
 |accessdate=2007-05-05 
 |title=Chile Summer Time 
 |publisher=WorldTimeZones.org 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911130451/http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-summer-time.htm 
 |archivedate=September 11, 2007 
}}</ref>
| utc_offset_DST = -3
| postal_code_type        = Postal code
| postal_code             = 3630000
| area_code_type          = 
| area_code               = 56 + 73
| website                 = [http://www.parral.cl Official website] {{in lang|es}}
| footnotes               =
}}

'''Parral''' is a [[List of cities in Chile|city]] and [[Communes of Chile|commune]] in the [[Linares Province]] of [[Chile]]'s [[Maule Region]].

==Geography==
Parral is located {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Linares, Chile|Linares]] and 97 kilometers south of [[Talca]], on the southern border of the [[Maule Region]] and Linares Province. Parral borders on the north with the communes of [[Longaví]], [[Retiro, Chile|Retiro]] and [[Colbún]] (with which it shares a short border in the [[Andes|cordillera]]na zone); on the west with the commune of [[Cauquenes]] ([[Cauquenes Province]]); on the south with the commune of Ñiquén and [[San Fabián]] and [[Ñuble Region]]); and on the east, with the commune of San Fabián.

The commune of Parral is {{convert|1638.4|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} in area.<ref name="INE"/> The river [[Perquilauquén]] forms its southern border.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

==History==
{{expand section|date=April 2020}}
Parral was founded in 1795 by the [[Viceroyalty of Peru|Viceroy of Peru]], [[Ambrosio O'Higgins]].  It was originally named Villa [[Maria Luisa of Parma|Reina Luisa]] del Parral in honor of the wife of [[Carlos IV]], the King of Spain.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

Parral is the birthplace of poet [[Pablo Neruda]], winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] in 1971.

==Demography==
The city of Parral is the second most populous city in Linares Province with a population of more than 26,000. According to the 2002 [[census]], 26,397 (70.0%) live in [[urban area]]s and 11,425 (30.0%) in surrounding [[rural]] areas. The ratio of men to women is 101 to 100. Between the census of 1992 and that of 2002, the population of the municipality fell by 0.6% (245 people), exclusively in the rural population; the city of Parral grew by around 1,900 people (7.7%).<ref name="INE"/> Parral has welcomed immigration from [[Italy]] and [[Germany]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

==Administration==
As a commune, Parral 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 2008-2012 alcalde is Israel Urrutia Escobar ([[Christian Democratic Party|PDC]]).<ref name="Munitel"/><ref name="Official"/>

Within the [[electoral divisions of Chile]], Parral is represented{{when|date=April 2020}} in the [[Chamber of Deputies of Chile|Chamber of Deputies]] by [[Guillermo Ceroni]] ([[Party for Democracy (Chile)|PPD]]) and Ignacio Urrutia ([[Independent Democratic Union|UDI]]) as part of the 40th electoral district, together with [[Longaví]], [[Retiro, Chile|Retiro]], [[Cauquenes]], [[Pelluhue]] and [[Chanco, Chile|Chanco]]. The commune is represented in the [[Senate of Chile|Senate]] by [[Hernán Larraín]] (UDI) and Ximena Rincón González (PDC) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

==Attractions==
[[File:Teatro Parral.JPG|160px|thumb|left|Theater and Public Library of Parral.]]
Natural and historical attractions in the area include:

*Termas de Catillo, [[thermal baths]] located {{convert|27|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Parral and {{convert|320|m|ft|abbr=on}} above sea level, and the site of a 200-room hotel complex;
*The Digua Dam reservoir, a largely undeveloped recreational and fishing area;
*The Bullileo Dam reservoir and Laguna de Amargo recreational area;
*Fort Viejo, a recreational area and an [[archaeological site]] from the time of the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas]] (''La Conquista'');
*La Balsa, a recreational area near the [[Andes]], with thermal baths nearby.

==See also==
*[[Colonia Dignidad]], about {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} south-east of Parral.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* {{in lang|es}} [http://www.parral.cl Municipality of Parral]

{{Cities_in the_Maule_Region}}
{{Communes in Maule Region}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places in Linares Province]]
[[Category:Communes of Chile]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1795]]