In Chile, the departments were the political-administrative subdivision of the Chilean territory. With constitutions they have varied in their meaning.
Departments of 1822With this Constitution repeal the municipalities. Cabildos and districts are conserved. Departments are created. According to the Constitution of 1822, the departments are governed by a directorial delegate. Departments of 1823
With the Constitution of 1823, the departments are equivalent to the old municipalities or provinces. They are ruled by governors.
So we have the following departments:
The departments are divided into delegations, equivalent to the old parties, which are governed by delegates.
With the Federal Laws of 1826, Chile is divided into provinces (formed from the division and reorganization of the departments of 1823).
With the Constitution of 1828, Chile is divided into provinces (equivalent to the provinces of 1826). The provinces are governed by intendants and administered by Provincial Assemblies.
The provinces are divided into smaller territorial units (without a special name) corresponding to the territories of the municipalities or old councils that are governed by governors and administered by municipalities.
These territories, around 1830, are beginning to be termed as departments. This denomination is fixed with the Constitution of 1833. Departments of 1833
According to the Constitution of 1833 the department is governed by a departmental governor. The departments are equivalent to the delegations of the Constitution of 1823, which correspond to the territories of the municipalities according to the Constitution of 1828.
The departments are divided into subdelegations, and these in turn in districts. In its head, a Municipality is also created, for the local administration of the Department, by what is denominated Departmental Municipality. In 1891, with the law of Autonomous Commune, municipalities are created in locations remote from the departmental head, which administer one or more subdelegations. Apartments in 1925
The Constitution of 1925, stipulates a political division (province, department, subdelegation, district) and an administrative division (province, commune). The territory of the commune is equivalent to a subdelegation (political division). The municipalities are responsible for the communal administration. It also modifies the municipality, in which it is reduced from three mayors to one, and a number of regidores proportional to the communal population.
On December 30, 1927, with DFL 8582 and 8583, provinces, departments, subdelegations and communes and districts were reorganized and rationalized.
In the 1970s, successive decrees reformed the political and administrative division of Chile and removed departments.
wiki
