ACONCAGUA  , a small

northern province of central Chile, bounded N. by Coquimbo, E. by Argentina, S. by Santiago and Valparaiso and W. by the Pacific . Its area is officially computed at 5487 sq. m . Pop . (1895) 113,165; (1902, official estimate based on civil registry returns) 131,255 . The province is very mountainous, and is traversed from east to west by the broad valley of the Aconcagua river . The climate is hot and dry, the rainfall being too small to influence climatic conditions . The valleys are highly fertile, and where irrigation is employed large crops are easily raised . Beyond the limits of irrigation the country is semi-barren . Alfalfa and grapes are the principal products, and considerable attention is given to the cultivation of other fruits, such as figs, peaches and melons . The " Vale of Quillota," through which the railway passes between Valparaiso and Santiago, is celebrated for its gardens . The Aconcagua river rises on the southern slope of the volcano Aconcagua, flows eastward through a broad valley, or bay in the mountains, and enters the Pacific 12 M. north of Valparaiso . The river has a course of about 200 m., and its waters irrigate the best and most populous part of the province .

Two other rivers—the Ligua and Choapa—traverse the province, the latter forming the northern boundary

line . The capital is San Felipe, on the Aconcagua river; it had a population of 11,313 in 1895, and an estimated population of 11,66o in 1902 . The other chief town is Santa Rosa de los Andes (est. pop . 6854), which is a principal station on the Transandine branch of the state railway . The only port in the province is Los Vilos, in lat . 32° S., from which a railway 40 M. long runs north-east to the valley of the Choapa . Another short line connects Cabildo, in the valley of the Ligua, with the state railway .