Vilcún
Encyclopedia
Vilcún is a Chile
an town and commune in Cautín Province
, Araucanía Region
. The town is an important gateway for tourists visiting Conguillío National Park
and Llaima
volcano.
The commune also includes the localities of Cherquenco, San Patricio, General López and Cajón.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Vilcún spans an area of 1420.9 sqkm and has 22,491 inhabitants (11,392 men and 11,099 women). Of these, 9,024 (40.1%) lived in urban area
s and 13,467 (59.9%) in rural areas. The population grew by 7.7% (1,604 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Patricio Villanueva Rubilar (PPD
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Vilcún is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Enrique Estay (UDI) and Fuad Chahín (PDC
) as part of the 49th electoral district, (together with Victoria
, Curacautín
, Lonquimay
, Melipeuco
, Lautaro
, Perquenco
and Galvarino). 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 Cautín Province
Cautín Province
Cautín Province is one of two provinces in the southern Chilean region of Araucanía , bounded on the north by Arauco and Malleco provinces, on the east by Argentina, on the south by Valdivia Province, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its population at the 2002 census was of 667,920. The most...
, 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....
. The town is an important gateway for tourists visiting Conguillío National Park
Conguillío National Park
Conguillío National Park is located in the Andes, in the provinces of Cautín and Malleco, in the Araucanía Region of Chile. Its name derives from the Mapuche word for "water with Araucaria seeds"...
and Llaima
Llaima
Llaima Volcano is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Chile. It is situated 82 km northeast of Temuco and 663 km southeast of Santiago, within the borders of Conguillío National Park.-Geography:...
volcano.
The commune also includes the localities of Cherquenco, San Patricio, General López and Cajón.
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...
, Vilcún spans an area of 1420.9 sqkm and has 22,491 inhabitants (11,392 men and 11,099 women). Of these, 9,024 (40.1%) 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 13,467 (59.9%) in rural areas. The population grew by 7.7% (1,604 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a commune, Vilcún 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 Patricio Villanueva Rubilar (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...
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Vilcún 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 Enrique Estay (UDI) and Fuad Chahín (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 49th electoral district, (together with Victoria
Victoria, Chile
Victoria is a city and commune in Malleco Province of Araucanía Region, Chile. It is the second most populous city in the province of Malleco, and is the gateway to the area known as Araucanía Andina, with attractions such as the Tolhuaca National Park , the Baths of Tolhuaca Malalcahuello National...
, Curacautín
Curacautín
Curacautín, which means "Gathering Stone" in Mapudungun, is a commune and city in the Chilean province of Malleco. Curacautín is located 90 kilometres northeast of Temuco, in a valley near the volcanoes Tolhuaca, Lonquimay and Llaima, all of which can be seen from the city...
, Lonquimay
Lonquimay
Lonquimay is a town and commune in the Malleco Province of southern Chile's Araucanía Region.- Transport :It is the terminus of an abandoned broad gauge railway project which supporters cited as the most practical railway route through the Andes to Argentina, but which lacks a link between...
, Melipeuco
Melipeuco
Melipeuco is a town and commune in Chile, located at the foot of the Andes, in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region. Melipeuco is from the southern entrance of the Conguillío National Park. The Nevados de Sollipulli, an ice-filled volcanic caldera surrounded by numerous hot water springs and...
, Lautaro
Lautaro, Chile
Lautaro is a city and commune of the Cautín Province in Chile's Araucanía Region. The area is named in honor of Lautaro, Mapuche leader during the War of Arauco.-Demographics:...
, Perquenco
Perquenco
Perquenco is a town and commune in southern Chile's Araucanía Region. The town was declared capital of the Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia by Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, but soon after it was occupied by Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez who was in charge of the Chilean occupation of the...
and Galvarino). 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) as part of the 14th senatorial constituency (Araucanía-North).