Chonchi is a Chile

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 located in Los Lagos Region

Los Lagos Region

Los Lagos Region is one of Chile's 15 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second largest island, Chiloé, and the second largest lake, Llanquihue.Its capital is Puerto Montt;...

. Chonchi is a truly rural

Rural

Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

 community. The country people have given a distinct form to its valleys, hills and waterways. They well understand the relationship between the natural world and the productivity

Productivity

Productivity is a measure of the efficiency of production. Productivity is a ratio of what is produced to what is required to produce it. Usually this ratio is in the form of an average, expressing the total output divided by the total input...

 of their fields.

History

Unification with Chile increased the economic importance of the region and promoted population growth. The 1833 census in Chonchi demonstrated that it was the most important town in the islands. It became a parish in 1836, resuming its traditional religious significance within the area. A good anchorage made Chonchi a natural stopping place for traffic in the canals and timber exploitation transformed it into a hub for development of the region. The economic activity centred upon Chonchi reached its zenith at the beginning of the 20th century creating an opulent society with an active social circle. The influence of external ideas (Europeans) is clearly apparent in the town.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census

Census

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...

, Chonchi spans an area of 1362.1 sqkm and has 12,572 inhabitants (6,453 men and 6,119 women). Of these, 4,588 (36.5%) 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 7,984 (63.5%) in rural areas. The population grew by 18.3% (1,945 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Architecture

Maritime commerce with Europe strongly influenced the town. With the aid of catalogues and pictures, European carpenter

Carpenter

A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....

s and cabinetmakers introduced the fashions of the Old World. In addition to neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

, the maritime traffic also introduced new construction materials.

Despite the Neo-classical style, well know in virtually every harbour town of the Pacific, the architecture of Chonchi possesses an originality shocking.

Administration

As a commune, Chonchi is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council

Municipal 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 Pedro Andrade Oyarzún (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...

).

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Chonchi 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 Gabriel Ascencio (PDC) and Alejandro Santana (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...

) as part of the 58th electoral district, (together with Castro

Castro, Chile

Castro is a city and commune in the Chilean island of Chiloé Island. Castro is the capital of the Chiloé Province in the Los Lagos Region. It is Chile's third oldest city in continued existence...

, Ancud

Ancud

Ancud is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region .-Geography:...

, Quemchi

Quemchi

Quemchi is a Chilean town and commune in Los Lagos Region, located in the eastern shore of Chiloé Island. It acquired certain celebrity because the famous Chilean writer Francisco Coloane was born nearby the town.-History:...

, Dalcahue

Dalcahue

Dalcahue is a port town and a commune on Chiloé Island, Los Lagos Region, Chile.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, the Dalcachue commune spans an area of and had 10,693 inhabitants; of these, 4,933 lived in urban areas and 5,760 in rural areas. At...

, Curaco de Vélez

Curaco de Vélez

Curaco de Vélez is Chilean commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located in western Quinchao Island while the eastern part is administered by the commune of Quinchao.-History:...

, Quinchao

Quinchao

-External links: *...

, Puqueldón

Puqueldón

Puqueldón is Chilean commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located on Lemuy Island. Puqueldón was one of the town to receive the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations scholarship in 2002.-History:...

, Queilén

Queilén

Queilén is a town and commune in the Archipelago of Chiloé in southern Chile. It covers a portion of the southeast of the Greater Island of Chiloé, between the communes of Chonchi, Quellón, Tranqui Island and Acuy Island...

, Quellón

Quellón

Quellón is a Chilean port city and commune in southern Chiloé Island, Los Lagos Region. It is considered an end-station of the Panamerican Highway and the Pacific Coastal Highway. The majority of men work on small boats called "lanchas" for days at a time fishing...

, Chaitén

Chaitén

Chaitén is a Chilean town, commune and former capital of the Palena Province in Los Lagos Region. The town is located north of the mouth of Yelcho River, on the east coast of the Gulf of Corcovado...

, Hualaihué

Hualaihué

Hualaihué is a Chilean commune located in Palena Province, Los Lagos Region. The communal capital is the town of Hornopirén.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Hualaihué spans an area of and has 8,273 inhabitants . Of these, 2,406 lived in urban areas...

, Futaleufú

Futaleufú, Chile

Futaleufú is a Chilean town and commune located in Palena Province, Los Lagos Region. The commune is named after Futaleufú River. Due to the eruption of Chaitén Volcano and the subsequent destruction of Chaitén, Futaleufú has been the capital of Palena Province since March 2009. The town is close...

 and Palena

Palena, Chile

Palena is a Chilean commune located in Palena Province, Los Lagos Region. The commune is named after Palena Lake.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Palena spans an area of and has 1,690 inhabitants , making the commune an entirely rural area...

). 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 Camilo Escalona Medina (PS

Socialist Party of Chile

The 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...

) and Carlos Kuschel Silva (RN) as part of the 17th senatorial constituency (Los Lagos Region).

External links

Municipality of Chonchi

• Chonchi, VisitChile.com
• Map, ChiloeWeb.com