Ercilla, Chile
Encyclopedia
Ercilla is a Chile
an town and commune in the Malleco Province, Araucanía Region
. Its name is a tribute to Alonso de Ercilla
, who wrote La Araucana
.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Ercilla spans an area of 499.7 sqkm and has 9,041 inhabitants (4,633 men and 4,408 women). Of these, 3,238 (35.8%) lived in urban area
s and 5,803 (64.2%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 2.3% (199 persons).
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Ramón Vilches Álvarez (Ind.
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Ercilla is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Gonzalo Arenas (UDI) and Mario Venegas (PDC
) as part of the 48th electoral district, (together with Angol
, Renaico, Collipulli
, Los Sauces
, Purén
, Lumaco
and Traiguén
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Alberto Espina Otero (RN
) and Jaime Quintana Leal (PPD
) as part of the 14th senatorial constituency (Araucanía-North).
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an town and commune in the Malleco Province, Araucanía Region
Araucanía Region
The IX Araucanía Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south....
. Its name is a tribute to Alonso de Ercilla
Alonso de Ercilla
Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga was a Spanish nobleman, soldier and epic poet from the Basque Country. While in Chile he fought against the Araucanians, and there he began the epic poem La Araucana, considered the greatest Spanish historical poem. This heroic work in 37 cantos is divided into three...
, who wrote La Araucana
La Araucana
La Araucana is an epic poem in Spanish about the Spanish conquest of Chile, by Alonso de Ercilla; it is also known in English as The Araucaniad...
.
Demographics
According to the 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
, Ercilla spans an area of 499.7 sqkm and has 9,041 inhabitants (4,633 men and 4,408 women). Of these, 3,238 (35.8%) lived in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and 5,803 (64.2%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 2.3% (199 persons).
Administration
As a commune, Ercilla is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal councilMunicipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by an alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Ramón Vilches Álvarez (Ind.
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Ercilla is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Gonzalo Arenas (UDI) and Mario Venegas (PDC
Christian Democratic Party
Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) as part of the 48th electoral district, (together with Angol
Angol
Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Nahuelbuta Range and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the Bío-Bío River and Concepción. This strategic position explains...
, Renaico, Collipulli
Collipulli
Collipulli is a city and commune forming part of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. Its name means "coloured lands" in the Mapuche language spoken in the area. It has a population of 22,354 and an area of...
, Los Sauces
Los Sauces
Los Sauces is a Chilean town and commune in the Malleco Province, Araucanía Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Los Sauces spans an area of and has 7,581 inhabitants . Of these, 3,638 lived in urban areas and 3,943 in rural areas...
, Purén
Purén
Purén is a city and commune in Malleco Province of Araucanía Region, Chile. It is located in the west base of the Nahuelbuta mountain range . The economical activity of Purén is based in forest exploitation and agriculture...
, Lumaco
Lumaco
Lumaco is a town and commune in Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of Chile. Its name in Mapudungun means "water of luma". Lumaco is located to northeast of Temuco and from Angol...
and Traiguén
Traiguén
Traiguén is a Chilean city and commune in the Malleco Province, Araucanía Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Traiguén spans an area of and has 19,534 inhabitants . Of these, 14,140 lived in urban areas and 5,394 in rural areas...
). The commune is represented in the Senate
Senate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Alberto Espina Otero (RN
National Renewal (Chile)
National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
) and Jaime Quintana Leal (PPD
Party for Democracy
The Party for Democracy is a political party in Chile; it is social democratic in its political orientation. It was founded in December 1987 by Ricardo Lagos, who aimed at forming a legal social democratic party . The party continued to function after the defeat of Pinochet...
) as part of the 14th senatorial constituency (Araucanía-North).