Arauco Province

{{Short description|Province in the Bío Bío Region, Chile}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Arauco Province

| official_name =

| native_name = Provincia de Arauco

| native_name_lang = es

| settlement_type = Province

| image_skyline =Lebu.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption = General view of Lebu

| nickname =

| motto =

| image_seal = Logotipo de la Gobernación de Arauco.svg

| image_map = Txu-oclc-224571178-sj18-08.jpg

| mapsize = 175px

| map_alt = Location in the Region

| map_caption = Location in the Region

| pushpin_map = Chile

| pushpin_map_alt = Location in Chile

| pushpin_mapsize = 175

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Chile

| coordinates = {{coord|37|46|S|73|20|W|type:adm2nd_region:CL-BI|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_footnotes =

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = Chile

| subdivision_type1 = Region

| subdivision_name1 = Bío Bío

| parts_type = Communes

| parts_style = coll

| parts = List of 7:

| p1 = Arauco

| p2 = Cañete

| p3 = Contulmo

| p4 = Curanilahue

| p5 = Lebu

| p6 = Los Álamos

| p7 = Tirúa

| established_title =

| established_date =

| seat_type = Capital

| seat = Lebu

| government_footnotes =

| government_type = Provincial

| leader_party = UDI

| leader_title = Governor

| leader_name = María Belgíca Tripailaf Quilodrán

| unit_pref = Metric

| area_footnotes = {{cite web|url=http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/territorio/division_politico_administrativa/pdf/dpa_completa.pdf |format=PDF |title=Territorial division of Chile |access-date=18 March 2011 |publisher=National Statistics Institute |year=2007 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114052159/http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/territorio/division_politico_administrativa/pdf/DPA_COMPLETA.pdf |archive-date=14 November 2010 }}

| area_total_km2 = 5643.3

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m =

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 157052

| population_as_of = 2012 Census

| population_density_km2 = auto

| population_demonym =

| population_blank1_title = Urban

| population_blank1 = 117,569

| population_blank2_title = Rural

| population_blank2 = 39,686

| demographics_type1 = Sex

| demographics1_footnotes =

| demographics1_title1 = Men

| demographics1_info1 = 79,263

| demographics1_title2 = Women

| demographics1_info2 = 77,992

| timezone = CLT{{cite web|url=http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-time.htm |access-date=2010-07-28 |title=Chile Time |publisher=WorldTimeZones.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713071639/http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-time.htm |archive-date=13 July 2010 |url-status=dead }}

| utc_offset = -4

| timezone_DST = CLST{{cite web|url=http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-summer-time.htm |access-date=2010-07-28 |title=Chile Summer Time |publisher=WorldTimeZones.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911130451/http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-summer-time.htm |archive-date=2007-09-11 }}

| utc_offset_DST = -3

| postal_code_type =

| postal_code =

| area_code_type =

| area_code = 56 + 41

| website ={{URL|http://www.gobernacionarauco.gov.cl/}}

| footnotes =

}}

Arauco Province ({{langx|es|Provincia de Arauco}}) is one of three provinces of the Chilean region of Bío Bío. It spans a coastal area of {{convert|6366|sqkm|0|abbr=on}} just south of the mouth of the Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major natural regions, Zona Central and Zona Sur. The province originally covered the once-independent indigenous territory of Araucanía, but this was afterward divided into four provinces. It is devoted largely to agricultural pursuits. The capital Lebu (population 25,000) is situated on the coast about {{convert|90|km|0|abbr=on}} south of Concepción with which it is connected by rail.{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Arauco|volume=2|page=322}}