Ovalle

The capital of the Limarí Province. The city's setting is often likened to an oasis, being lush and green although surrounded by barren hills. The city lies amidst a mining district with the copper mine of Panulcillo and the iron mine of El Dorado lying in its immediate vicinities. Next ot Panulcillo state-owned company ENAMI operates Planta Delta which purchases and processes ore from local small-scale miners. 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 football club is Deportes Ovalle. Famous players have played for the club, including 1982 FIFA World Cup player Rodolfo Dubó.

• Official Name — Ovalle • Settlement Type — City and Commune • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — Chile • Subdivision Type1 — Region • Subdivision Name1 — Coquimbo • Subdivision Type2 — Province • Subdivision Name2 — Limarí • Government Type — Municipality • Leader Title — Alcalde • Leader Name — Hector Vega Campusano • Established Title — Founded • Established Date — 1831 • Unit Pref — Metric • Area Total Km2 — 3834.5 • Elevation M — 215 • Population Total — 103734 • Population As Of — 2012 Census • Population Density Km2 — auto • Population Blank1 Title — Urban • Population Blank1 — 73790 • Population Blank2 Title — Rural • Population Blank2 — 24299 • Demographics Type1 — Sex • Demographics1 Title1 — Men • Demographics1 Info1 — 47,805 • Demographics1 Title2 — Women • Demographics1 Info2 — 50,284 • Timezone — CLT • Utc Offset — −4 • Timezone Dst — CLST • Utc Offset Dst — −3 • Postal Code Type — Postal code • Postal Code — 1840000 • Area Code — 56 + 53 • Blank Name — Climate • Blank Info — BSh • Website — Official website Ovalle is a city in the Coquimbo Region of Chile, founded in 1831 as a settlement. It has a population of more than 113,000 people. The name Ovalle was chosen in honor of José Tomás Ovalle, former Chilean vice president and two-time acting president. Ovalle is the capital of the Limarí Province. The city's setting is often likened to an oasis, being lush and green although surrounded by barren hills. The city lies amidst a mining district with the copper mine of Panulcillo and the iron mine of El Dorado lying in its immediate vicinities. Next ot Panulcillo state-owned company ENAMI operates Planta Delta which purchases and processes ore from local small-scale miners. 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 football club is Deportes Ovalle. Famous players have played for the club, including 1982 FIFA World Cup player Rodolfo Dubó.

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Ovalle spans an area of 3834.5 sqkm 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.

The climate is semi-desertic. Ovalle has hot and dry summers, with temperatures in the range 22–33 °C. Winters are humid and fresh, and is when rains occur. The temperatures in winter are generally lower than nearby cities like La Serena or Punitaqui, due to cold winds that come from the Andes through the Ovalle valley. Temperatures rarely fall below -5 °C.

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).

The pediatrician and biochemist Hermann Niemeyer, one of the central figures in the development of biochemistry in Chile, was born in Ovalle in 1918. Elisa Berroeta was born in Ovalle and was a wood engraver and illustrator, active in Santiago and Paris.

* • Illustration — Public Square Kiosk — • Illustration — Vista de Ovalle — • Illustration — The Andean Mountains as seen from Fundina, Ovalle, Chile.