Arica y Parinacota Region was created on October 8, 2007 under Law 20.175, promulgated on March 23, 2007 by President Michelle Bachelet in the city of Arica.

According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the province spans an area of 8,146.9 km2 (3,146 sq mi)[2] and had a population of 3,156 inhabitants (2,106 men and 1,050 women), giving it a population density of 0.4/km2 (1/sq mi).

[2] A 1995 study shows that contrary to the Chilean Spanish spoken in most of Chile there is at least among some of its inhabitants a pronunciation that lacks yeísmo.

[5] As a province, Parinacota is a second-level administrative division of Chile consisting of two communes: General Lagos in the northern portion and Putre in the south.

The provincial government is led by delegate Wagner Sanhueza Guzmán, who was appointed by president Gabriel Boric.