| San Rafael | |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Town and Commune |
| Flag Alt: | Flag |
| Shield Alt: | Coat of arms |
| Map Alt: | Map of the San Rafael commune in the Maule Region |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile |
| Pushpin Map Narrow: | yes |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location in Chile |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Chile |
| Coor Pinpoint: | town |
| Coordinates: | -35.3167°N -103°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Chile |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Maule |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Talca |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] [2] |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Leader Title: | Alcaldesa |
| Leader Name: | CLAUDIA ALEJANDRA DIAZ BRAVO |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 263.5 |
| Elevation M: | 127 |
| Population Total: | 7964 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 Census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Urban |
| Population Blank1: | 3482 |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Rural |
| Population Blank2: | 4192 |
| Demographics Type1: | Sex |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Men |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 3,903 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Women |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 3,771 |
| Timezone: | CLT[4] |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Timezone Dst: | CLST[5] |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -3 |
| Area Code: | 56 + 71 |
| Website: | Municipality of San Rafael |
San Rafael is a town and commune of the Talca Province in the Maule Region of Chile. The town serves as the communal capital.
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, San Rafael spans an area of 263.5sqkm and has 7,674 inhabitants (3,903 men and 3,771 women). Of these, 3,482 (45.4%) lived in urban areas and 4,192 (54.6%) in rural areas. The population grew by 6.5% (465 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[3]
As a commune, San Rafael 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 alcaldesa is CLAUDIA ALEJANDRA DIAZ BRAVO. (UDI).[1] [2]
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Rafael is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Pablo Lorenzini (PDC) and Pedro Pablo Alvarez-Salamanca (UDI) as part of the 38th electoral district, together with Curepto, Constitución, Empedrado, Pencahue, Maule, San Clemente, Pelarco and Río Claro. The commune is represented in the Senate by Juan Antonio Coloma Correa (UDI) and Andrés Zaldívar Larraín (PDC) as part of the 10th senatorial constituency (Maule-North).