Ovalle

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Ovalle
City and Commune
Flag Coat of arms Ovalle Location in Chile
Coordinates: 30°36′S 71°12′W / 30.600°S 71.200°W / -30.600; -71.200
Country	Chile
Region	Coquimbo
Province	Limarí
Founded	1831
Government [1]
• Type	Municipality
• Alcalde	Hector Vega Campusano
Area [2]
• Total	3,834.5 km2 (1,480.5 sq mi)
Elevation	215 m (705 ft)
Population  (2012 Census)[2]
• Total	103,734
• Density	27/km2 (70/sq mi)
• Urban	73,790
• Rural	24,299
Sex [2]
• Men	47,805
• Women	50,284
Time zone	UTC−4 (CLT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−3 (CLST)
Postal code	1840000
Area code	56 + 53
Climate	BSh
Website	Official website (in Spanish)

Ovalle is a city in the Coquimbo Region of Chile,^[3] founded in 1831 as a settlement. It has a population of more than 113,000 people. The name Ovalle was chosen to honor to Chile's vice-president, José Tomás Ovalle. 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 3,834.5 km² (1,481 sq mi) 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.^[2]

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.^[5] Elisa Berroeta was born in Ovalle and was a wood engraver and illustrator, active in Santiago and Paris.^[6]

• Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park
• Embalse La Paloma
• Embalse Recoleta

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ovalle.

• (in Spanish) Municipality of Ovalle
• (in Spanish) Ovallito.cl