Regions of Chile
Chile is divided into 13 regions, each of which is headed by an
intendente. Every region is further divided into provinces with a
Gobernador provincial. Finally each province is divided into various
Comunas each with its own mayor. Intendentes and gobernadores are appointed by the president, mayors are elected by popular vote.
Each region is designated by a name and a Roman numeral. Numbers are assigned from north to south. In general the Roman numeral is used, rather than the name. The only exception is the region where Santiago is situated, which is designated RM, that stands for Región Metropolitana, (Spanish: Metropolitan Region).