Guaitecas
Encyclopedia
Guaitecas is Chile
an commune located in Guaitecas Archipelago
which are part of Aisén Province
and Region. The administrative centre is Melinka
, the only port and town in the Chonos Archipelago
.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Guaitecas spans an area of 787 sqkm and has 1,539 inhabitants (913 men and 626 women). Of these, 1,411 (91.7%) lived in urban area
s and 128 (8.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 20% (256 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Luis Miranda Chiguay (RN
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Guaitecas is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by René Alinco (PDC
) and David Sandoval (UDI) as part of the 59th electoral district, which includes the entire Aisén Region. The commune is represented in the Senate
by Antonio Horvath Kiss (RN) and Patricio Walker Prieto (PDC) as part of the 18th senatorial constituency (Aisén Region).
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 commune located in Guaitecas Archipelago
Guaitecas Archipelago
Guaitecas Archipelago is an archipelago in the municipality of Guaitecas in the Aisén province. The Ciprés de las Guaitecas tree is named after the archipelago. The only settlement in the archipelago is Melinka....
which are part of Aisén Province
Aisén Province
Aisén Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Aisen . Its capital is Puerto Aisén.-Demographics:The province had a 2002 population of 23,498 according to the census by the National Statistics Institute. Of these, 16,180 lived in urban areas and 13,451 in rural areas. Between...
and Region. The administrative centre is Melinka
Melinka, Chile
Melinka is a Chilean town in Aisén Province, Aisén Region. It is the administrative center of the commune of Guaitecas since 1979. The settlement is named after the wife of the Lithuanian immigrant, F. A. Westhoff, who settled in the area when it was still part of Chiloé Province. The word melinka...
, the only port and town in the Chonos Archipelago
Chonos Archipelago
Chonos Archipelago is a series of low mountainous elongated islands with deep bays, traces of a submerged Chilean Coast Range. Most of the islands are forested with little or no human settlement...
.
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...
, Guaitecas spans an area of 787 sqkm and has 1,539 inhabitants (913 men and 626 women). Of these, 1,411 (91.7%) 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 128 (8.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 20% (256 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a commune, Guaitecas 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 Luis Miranda Chiguay (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...
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Guaitecas 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 René Alinco (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...
) and David Sandoval (UDI) as part of the 59th electoral district, which includes the entire Aisén Region. 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 Antonio Horvath Kiss (RN) and Patricio Walker Prieto (PDC) as part of the 18th senatorial constituency (Aisén Region).