Linares

Linares, city, central Chile. It lies inland, 60 miles (100 km) from the Pacific coast, in the fertile Central Valley.

Founded in 1755 as San Javier de Bella Isla, it was renamed San Ambrosio de Linares in 1794, and its present name became official in 1875. The city is a commercial and agricultural centre dealing in grains, fruits, vegetables, and livestock and has dairies, tanneries, and flour mills. Both the Pan-American Highway and the main north-south railroad pass through Linares, and a branch line leads to the Termas (hot springs) de Panimávida, 17 miles northeast. Linares is situated in an area prone to earthquakes, and in 2010 an earthquake caused extensive damage. Pop. (2002) 65,133; (2017) municipality, 93,602.