| Ercilla | |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Town and Commune |
| Flag Alt: | Flag |
| Shield Alt: | Coat of arms |
| Map Alt: | Location of the Ercilla commune in the Araucanía Region |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile |
| Pushpin Map Narrow: | 1 |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location in Chile |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Chile |
| Coordinates: | -38.05°N -95°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Chile |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Araucanía |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Malleco |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Leader Title: | Alcalde |
| Leader Party: | Ind. |
| Leader Name: | Ramón Vilches Álvarez |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Note: | As of 2002 |
| Area Total Km2: | 499.7 |
| Elevation M: | 306 |
| Population Total: | 8466 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 Census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Ercillano |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Urban |
| Population Blank1: | 3238 |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Rural |
| Population Blank2: | 5803 |
| Demographics Type1: | Sex |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Men |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 4,633 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Women |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 4,408 |
| Timezone: | CLT[3] |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Timezone Dst: | CLST[4] |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -3 |
| Area Code: | 56 + 45 |
Ercilla is a Chilean town and commune in the Malleco Province, Araucanía Region. Its name is a tribute to Alonso de Ercilla, who wrote La Araucana.
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Ercilla spans an area of 499.7sqkm and has 9,041 inhabitants (4,633 men and 4,408 women). Of these, 3,238 (35.8%) lived in urban areas and 5,803 (64.2%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 2.3% (199 persons).[2]
As a commune, Ercilla is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Ramón Vilches Álvarez (Ind.).[1]
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Ercilla is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Gonzalo Arenas (UDI) and Mario Venegas (PDC) as part of the 48th electoral district, together with Angol, Renaico, Collipulli, Los Sauces, Purén, Lumaco and Traiguén. The commune is represented in the Senate by Alberto Espina Otero (RN) and Jaime Quintana Leal (PPD) as part of the 14th senatorial constituency (Araucanía-North).