San Fernando is the capital of the province of Colchagua, in central

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

, and the second most populated urban center of the

O'Higgins Region The Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region ( es, Región del Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, ), often shortened to O'Higgins Region ( es, Región de O'Higgins), is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is subdi ...

. Located close to the

Tinguiririca River Tinguiririca River is a river of Chile located in the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region. It rises in the Andes, at the confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join ...

(a tributary of the Rapel) in a fertile valley, San Fernando sits 339 m (1,112 feet) above sea level. Founded in 1742, it became the provincial

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

in 1840.

Culture

San Fernando is famous for its

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

s, thanks to its location at the heart of the country. The surrounding area yields wheat, forage crops, rice, legumes and grapes. There is also a brand of

Chilean wine Chilean wine has a long history for a New World wine region, as it was the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought ''Vitis vinifera'' vines with them as they colonized the region. In the mid-19th century, French wine varieties s ...

called ''San Fernando''. Both the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...

and Chile's main longitudinal

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

run through San Fernando. San Fernando is located at the northern tip of Chile's Colchagua Valley. This region is popularly known as the heart of chilean agriculture. Here you can find the "wine route" which will take visitors on a journey from San Fernando to Santa Cruz, visiting some of Chile's most traditional vineyards. Some major attractions in and around San Fernando include Casa Silva, a hotel, vineyard, and winery. Hacienda Los Lingues, a traditional chilean-style, colonial home of an hacienda "patrón" or owner that has been turned into a hotel and restaurant. The hacienda offers horseback riding adventures into the precordillera of the Andes. Most major producers of fresh fruit for export are located in and around San Fernando. These include: Frusan, Unifruti, and Agricola Panagro. Within the orchards and farms of the region one can find almost every type of fresh produce; from citrus to premium quality fresh cherries. San Fernando is also the point of departure to begin a trip to "Las Termas Del Flaco" (The thermal baths of Flaco). Flaco can be reached by travelling east of ruta 5 on the road to Puente Negro. "Las Termas" baths are open from mid-December to April and are located in an area famous for its large populations of Tricahues, a type of native parrot, and fossilized dinosaur footprints.

Demographics

According to the 2017

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of the National Statistics Institute, San Fernando spans an area of and has 73,973 inhabitants (36,077 men and 37,896 women). The population grew by 16.1% (11,881 persons) between the 2002 and 2017 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, San Fernando is a third-level

administrative division of Chile The administrative division or territorial organization of Chile exemplifies characteristics of a unitary state. State administration is functionally and geographically decentralized, as appropriate for each authority in accordance with the law. ...

administered by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, headed by a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

who is

democratically Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choose gover ...

elected every four years. The current administration is run by Pablo Silva Pérez (right-wing

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

) who was elected in the

2021 Chilean municipal elections Municipal elections were held in Chile on 15 and 16 May 2021, in conjunction with elections of members for the Constitutional Convention and regional governors. The process included the direct election of mayors and the members of the council of ...

Climate

Gallery

Image:SanFco SanFernando.JPG, San Francisco Church. Image:Gobernación Provincial de Colchagua (Ex Intendencia), 2005.jpg, Gobernación de Colchagua.

References

External links

*
Municipality of San Fernando
*
Information about San Fernando
* {{Authority control Communes of Chile Populated places established in 1742 Populated places in Colchagua Province Capitals of Chilean provinces 1742 establishments in the Spanish Empire