Talca
Chile
At a glance
Founded in 1692 by Tomás Marín de Poveda, it was destroyed by earthquakes in 1742 and 1928 and was completely rebuilt. It is now a major urban center midway between Santiago, 160 miles (260 km) to the north-northeast, and Concepción. In 2010 it was again struck by an earthquake that caused extensive damage.

Talca lies in the country’s greatest wine-making zone and contains Chile’s largest match industry, as well as shoe, biscuit, bed, chocolate, and noodle factories; paper and flour mills; distilleries; foundries; and a tannery.

The University of Talca was founded in 1981. A transportation hub, Talca is on the Pan-American Highway and the main north-south railroad. A branch railroad runs west from the city to the coastal city of Constitución, and a road crosses the Andes into Argentina. Pop. (2002) city, 189,505; (2017) municipality, 220,357.