Tamarugal Province

Tamarugal Province (Provincia de Tamarugal) is one of two provinces in the northern Chilean region of Tarapacá. The capital is the city of Pozo Almonte.

Name
The province is named after Pampa del Tamarugal. Spanish name:
 * Provincia de Tamarugal: Used by the government of the province.
 * Provincia del Tamarugal: Used by the government of Chile. Derived from the name El Tamarugal.
 * Provincia El Tamarugal: Derived from the name El Tamarugal.

Geography and demography
According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 39390.5 sqkm and had a population of 22,531 inhabitants (14,175 men and 8,356 women). It is the seventh largest and ninth least populated province in the country with a population density of 0.6 PD/sqkm. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 63.5% (8,748 persons).

Administration
The province is administered by a presidentially appointed delegate. Luz Eliana González Millas was appointed by president Gabriel Boric.

Communes
As a province, Tamarugal is a second-level administrative division of Chile, which is further subdivided into five communes (comunas).