To the east the Andean slopes cover a considerable part of its territory, and in the west another large area is covered by the Chilean Coast Range. Between these is the central valley of Chile. The mountainous parts are well wooded, and the intermediate plain, which is rolling and slopes gently to the south, is fertile.[4]
Demography
According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 9,937.8 km2 (3,837 sq mi)[1] and had a population of 352,966 inhabitants (174,734 men and 178,232 women), giving it a population density of 35.5/km2 (92/sq mi). Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 12.4% (39,015 persons).[1]