San Antonio, Chile
Encyclopedia
San Antonio, meaning "Saint Anthony", is a major Chile
an port (the largest in terms of freight handled, and the busiest port in the western coast of South America
) and a commune in San Antonio Province
, Valparaíso Region
. It is the capital of the province and is the hub of the fishing area that spans the Chilean coast from Rocas de Santo Domingo to Cartagena
.
and is crossed in two sections by estuaries, of Arévalo
to the north and of El Sauce
in the section of Llolleo
.
The city is located at 33º 35' South and 71º 37' West. It is bordered on the north by the commune of Cartagena; on the east, by the commune of Melipilla
and the Maipo River; on the south, by the same river and by the communes of Santo Domingo
and San Pedro
; and on the west, by the Pacific Ocean (here termed "el mar Chileno", "the Chilean sea").
It comprises an area of 502.5 sqkm.
with coastal influences. The average annual temperature is 14 °C (57.2 °F) with averages of 19 °C (66.2 °F) in January and 8.2 °C (46.8 °F) in July. Annual precipitation of 570 mm (22 in) is concentrated in June, with an average of 134 mm (5 in).
The city was 80% destroyed by the 1985 Santiago earthquake
.
The San Antonio port was shut down by the 27 February 2010 earthquake
, but had resumed operation at 80% capacity by 3 March 2010. After the quake, only 5 of the 8 docking points at the port resumed operation.
of the National Statistics Institute
, San Antonio spans an area of 404.5 sqkm and has 87,205 inhabitants (42,843 men and 44,362 women). Of these, 83,435 (95.7%) lived in urban area
s and 3,770 (4.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 11.6% (9,047 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Omar Vera Castro, who is advised by six councilors:
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Antonio is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Mrs. María José Hoffmann (UDI) and Mr. Víctor Torres (PDC
) as part of the 15th electoral district, (together with Santo Domingo
, Cartagena
, El Tabo
, El Quisco
, Algarrobo
and Casablanca
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Francisco Chahuán Chahuán (RN
) and Ricardo Lagos Weber (PPD
) as part of the 6th senatorial constituency (Valparaíso-Coast).
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 port (the largest in terms of freight handled, and the busiest port in the western coast of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
) and a commune in San Antonio Province
San Antonio Province
San Antonio Province is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso . Its capital is the port city of San Antonio San Antonio Province is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso (V). Its capital is the port city of San Antonio San Antonio Province...
, Valparaíso Region
Valparaíso Region
The V Valparaíso Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's third highest population of 1,539,852 million in 2002 and third smallest area of , the region is Chile's second most densely populated after the Santiago Metropolitan Region...
. It is the capital of the province and is the hub of the fishing area that spans the Chilean coast from Rocas de Santo Domingo to Cartagena
Cartagena, Chile
Cartagena is a Chilean commune located in the San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-History:In the seventeenth century the area surrounding the town became a major producer of wheat, which was shipped to Peru and Spain via the port of...
.
Geography
The city lies on hills and coastal dunes, immediately north of the mouth of the Maipo RiverMaipo River
Maipo River is the main river flowing through Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile. Its headwaters are on the west slope of Maipo volcano, in the Andes. Its most famous tributary is Mapocho River. The Maipo River is by far the major source of irrigation and potable water for the region.-Course:In...
and is crossed in two sections by estuaries, of Arévalo
Arévalo
Arévalo is a municipality in Spain, it is situated in the province of Ávila and is part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. The name came from Celtic word arevalon, meaning "place near the wall."-Regional importance:...
to the north and of El Sauce
El Sauce
This article is about the municipality in El Salvador. For the municipality in Nicaragua, see El Sauce, León.El Sauce is a municipality in the La Unión department of El Salvador....
in the section of Llolleo
Llolleo
Llolleo, also called Llo-Lleo, is a town in the commune of San Antonio, V Region of Valparaiso, Chile. It is located 98 km from Santiago de Chile and 4 km from the port of San Antonio...
.
The city is located at 33º 35' South and 71º 37' West. It is bordered on the north by the commune of Cartagena; on the east, by the commune of Melipilla
Melipilla
Melipilla is a Chilean commune and capital city of the province of the same name, located in the Santiago Metropolitan Region southwest of the nation's capital...
and the Maipo River; on the south, by the same river and by the communes of Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, Chile
Santo Domingo is an exclusive Chilean coastal city and commune in San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. It was founded as Rocas de Santo Domingo .-Demographics:...
and San Pedro
San Pedro, Chile
San Pedro is a commune of the Melipilla Province in central Chile's Santiago Metropolitan Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, San Pedro spans an area of and has 7,549 inhabitants , making the commune an entirely rural area...
; and on the west, by the Pacific Ocean (here termed "el mar Chileno", "the Chilean sea").
It comprises an area of 502.5 sqkm.
Climate
San Antonio enjoys a Mediterranean climateMediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
with coastal influences. The average annual temperature is 14 °C (57.2 °F) with averages of 19 °C (66.2 °F) in January and 8.2 °C (46.8 °F) in July. Annual precipitation of 570 mm (22 in) is concentrated in June, with an average of 134 mm (5 in).
History
Nomadic hunters and gatherers were the first inhabitants of Chilean territory. In this central coastal zone are evidences of ancient habitation extending back about thirteen thousand years.The city was 80% destroyed by the 1985 Santiago earthquake
1985 Santiago earthquake
The 1985 Santiago earthquake was a seismic movement registered on 3 March 1985 at 22:47 UTC . Its epicenter was located on the south coasts of Valparaíso Region, Chile, close to the beach of Algarrobo...
.
The San Antonio port was shut down by the 27 February 2010 earthquake
2010 Chile earthquake
The 2010 Chile earthquake occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February 2010, at 03:34 local time , having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. It ranks as the sixth largest earthquake ever to be recorded by a...
, but had resumed operation at 80% capacity by 3 March 2010. After the quake, only 5 of the 8 docking points at the port resumed operation.
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...
, San Antonio spans an area of 404.5 sqkm and has 87,205 inhabitants (42,843 men and 44,362 women). Of these, 83,435 (95.7%) 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 3,770 (4.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 11.6% (9,047 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Governmental Administration
As a commune, San Antonio is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a communal council, headed by an alcaldeAlcalde
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 Omar Vera Castro, who is advised by six councilors:
- Pedro Piña Mateluna (PCCommunist Party of ChileThe Communist Party of Chile is a Chilean political party inspired by the thoughts of Karl Marx and Lenin. It was founded in 1922, as the continuation of the Socialist Workers Party, and in 1934 it established its youth wing, the Communist Youth of Chile .In the last legislative elections in Chile...
) - Ramón Silva Suazo (PDCChristian Democratic PartyChristian 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...
) - Danilo Rojas Barahona (RNNational 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...
) - Fernando Núñez Michellod (PSSocialist Party of ChileThe Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
) - Jose Martinez Fuentes (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...
, Concert of Parties for Democracy) - Omar Morales Márquez (PRSDSocial Democrat Radical PartyThe Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
)
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Antonio 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 Mrs. María José Hoffmann (UDI) and Mr. Víctor Torres (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 15th electoral district, (together with Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, Chile
Santo Domingo is an exclusive Chilean coastal city and commune in San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. It was founded as Rocas de Santo Domingo .-Demographics:...
, Cartagena
Cartagena, Chile
Cartagena is a Chilean commune located in the San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-History:In the seventeenth century the area surrounding the town became a major producer of wheat, which was shipped to Peru and Spain via the port of...
, El Tabo
El Tabo
El Tabo is a Chilean commune located in the San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, El Tabo has 7,028 inhabitants . Of these, 6,604 lived in urban areas and 424 in rural areas...
, El Quisco
El Quisco
El Quisco is a Chilean city and commune in San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. Located in the country's central coast, it serves as a popular summer resort for the population of Santiago...
, Algarrobo
Algarrobo
Algarrobo may refer to:* The European carob tree * South American trees of the genus Prosopis* On Cuba, the Albizia saman tree * Algarrobo, Chile, a city in Chile* Algarrobo, Magdalena a town in Colombia...
and Casablanca
Casablanca, Chile
Casablanca, meaning "white house", is a Chilean city and commune located in Valparaíso Province, Valparaíso Region.- Geography :The city of Casablanca is located on Route 68 between Santiago and the city of Valparaíso, at about 30 minutes southeast of Valparaíso and 50 minutes northwest of Santiago...
). 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 Francisco Chahuán Chahuán (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 Ricardo Lagos Weber (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 6th senatorial constituency (Valparaíso-Coast).