Linares is a Chilean city and commune in the Maule Region, in the Chilean Central Valley. Linares is the capital city of the province of Linares.

History
Linares was founded on 23 May 23 1794, as the "Villa de San Ambrosio de Linares" by Ambrosio O'Higgins, father of Bernardo O'Higgins. O'Higgins was then "Captain General" (a military governor) of Chile and Francisco de la Mata Linares was the Governor of Concepción.

In 1873, the province of Linares was created from the old province of Maule; it had three departments: Linares, Parral and Loncomilla.

In 1927, Linares was eliminated as a province and became part of the new province of Maule but, in 1936, Linares was made again a province with the same departments. When the regions were created in 1975, the Maule region was formed with the Curicó, Linares, Maule and Talca provinces.

Population
 (last national census), there were 83,249 people (40,518 men and 42,731 women) living in the commune, giving it a population density of  inhabitants/km². The urban population was 68,224 persons ( of the total).

The people from Linares are called Linarenses, both men and women.

Geography

The commune has an area of  and the city proper, .

The city of Linares is at  south of Santiago and  south of Talca, the regional capital.

The rivers Ancoa, Putagán and Achibueno are the main rivers that flow through the commune or form its natural borders.

Most of the territory of the commune is within the central plain (Valle Central de Chile). Some low hills are in the most western part of the commune, while its most eastern part is marked by the presence of the foothills of the Andes mountains.

The commune of Linares is bordered on the west by San Javier; on the north by Villa Alegre, Yerbas Buenas and Colbún; on the east, by Colbún, and on the south, by Longaví.

Climate
The climate of Linares is a mild Mediterranean climate, Csb in the Köppen climate classification.

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Linares is . The month with the most precipitation on average is June with  of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is February with an average of .

The average temperature for the year in Linares is . The warmest month, on average, is January with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is July, with an average temperature of .

Main sights

The city and its surroundings have many attractions, for example:

 The Cathedral Church of San Ambrosio de Linares. The Cathedral of Linares]was built after the old cathedral had been destroyed by an earthquake..
 The Corazón de María ("Heart of Mary") church — a church declared a National Monument for its Gothic style and beauty
 The Museo de Arte y Artesanía (Museum of Arts and Crafts)

Some natural attractions in the surrounding area include the piedmont of the Andes mountains, with forests of pines and other trees; lakes (the artificial Colbún lake); rivers, and good camping and hiking areas.

Economy
Linares is an important agricultural, industrial and financial center of the region.

Related pages
Communes of Chile
Provinces of Chile

References

Other websites
 Territorial division of Chile 
 Gobierno Regional del Maule  Official website 
 Province of Linares website 
 Municipality of Linares 

Cities in Chile