El Loa

El Loa Province (Spanish: Provincia El Loa) is one of three provinces of the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta (II). It is named after the longest of rivers in Chile, the Loa River. The provincial capital is Calama.

El Loa Province Provincia El Loa
Province
Miscanti Lake
Seal
Location in the Antofagasta Region
El Loa Province Location in Chile
Coordinates: 22°50′S 68°07′W
Country	Chile
Region	Antofagasta
Capital	Calama
Communes	Calama Ollagüe San Pedro de Atacama
Government
• Type	Provincial
• Presidential Provincial Delegate	Miguel Ballesteros Candia (Democratic Revolution)
Area [1]
• Total	41,999.6 km2 (16,216.1 sq mi)
Population  (2012 Census)[1]
• Total	142,686
• Density	3.39732/km2 (8.79901/sq mi)
• Urban	138,538
• Rural	5,151
Sex [1]
• Men	73,970
• Women	69,719
Time zone	UTC-4 (CLT[2])
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (CLST[3])
Area code	56 + 55
Website	www.gobernacionloa.gov.cl

Geography and demography

According to the 2012 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 41,999.6 km² (16,216 sq mi)^[1] and had a population of 142,686 inhabitants, giving it a population density of 3.4/km² (9/sq mi). It is the sixth largest province in the country. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 14.9% (18,610 persons).^[1]

Communes

• Calama (capital)
• Ollagüe
• San Pedro de Atacama