Natales
Encyclopedia
Natales is a commune of the Última Esperanza Province
in the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region of extreme southern Chile
. Its capital and only port city is Puerto Natales
.
lies 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Puerto Natales.
Its capital and only city, Puerto Natales
(2002 population: 16,978), is one of the southernmost settlements
in the world.
According to the 2002 census
of the National Statistics Institute
, the Natales commune has 19,116 inhabitants (10,068 men and 9,048 women). Of these, 16,978 (88.8%) lived in urban area
of the city and 2,138 (11.2%) in rural areas. The population grew by 10.7% (1,841 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. The commune comprises 96.3% of the total provincial population of 19,855. Its population density is only 0.38 /km2.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Fernando Paredes Mansilla (UDI). The regional intendant
, appointed by the president
, is Liliana Kusanovic.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Natales is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Carolina Goic (PDC) and Miodrag Marinovic (Ind.
) as part of the 60th electoral district, which includes the entire Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region. The commune is represented in the Senate
by Carlos Bianchi Chelech (Ind.) and Pedro Muñoz Aburto (PS) as part of the 19th senatorial constituency (Magallanes Region).
Última Esperanza Province
Última Esperanza Province is one of four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena . The capital is Puerto Natales...
in the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region of extreme southern 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...
. Its capital and only port city is Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales is a city in Chilean Patagonia. Puerto Natales is the capital of both the commune of Natales and the province of Última Esperanza, , one of the four provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region in the southernmost part of Chile...
.
Geography
The commune's area spans 48974.2 km² (18,909 sq mi), making it one of the largest communes in Chile, larger than ten of the country's 15 political regions. The Cueva del Milodón Natural MonumentCueva del Milodón Natural Monument
Cueva del Milodón Natural Monument is a Natural Monument located in the Chilean Patagonia, northwest of Puerto Natales and north of Punta Arenas. The monument is situated along the flanks of the Cerro Benitez Mountains...
lies 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Puerto Natales.
Demography
Puerto Natales
Puerto Natales is a city in Chilean Patagonia. Puerto Natales is the capital of both the commune of Natales and the province of Última Esperanza, , one of the four provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region in the southernmost part of Chile...
(2002 population: 16,978), is one of the southernmost settlements
Southernmost settlements
Southernmost settlements are cities, towns, weather stations or permanent military bases which are further south than latitude 45° S. They are closely related to the Southern Ocean or either the Roaring Forties or Furious Fifties.- Southernmost city :...
in the world.
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...
, the Natales commune has 19,116 inhabitants (10,068 men and 9,048 women). Of these, 16,978 (88.8%) 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...
of the city and 2,138 (11.2%) in rural areas. The population grew by 10.7% (1,841 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. The commune comprises 96.3% of the total provincial population of 19,855. Its population density is only 0.38 /km2.
Administration
Puerto Natales serves as capital of both the Natales commune and the Última Esperanza Province. As a commune, Natales 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 Fernando Paredes Mansilla (UDI). The regional intendant
Intendant
The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
, appointed by the president
President of Chile
The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...
, is Liliana Kusanovic.
- Herminio Fernández García (UDI)
- Ana Mayorga Bahamonde (UDI)
- Patricio Gamin Bustamante (PDCChristian Democrat Party of ChileThe Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats....
) - Spiro Cárdenas Tadich (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...
) - Antonieta Oyarzo Alvarado (PS)
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Natales 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 Carolina Goic (PDC) and Miodrag Marinovic (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...
) as part of the 60th electoral district, which includes the entire Magallanes and Antartica Chilena 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 Carlos Bianchi Chelech (Ind.) and Pedro Muñoz Aburto (PS) as part of the 19th senatorial constituency (Magallanes Region).