Queilén
Encyclopedia
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
. For the 2002 census, the population of the town had grown to 1,912 inhabitants, according to INE; the municipality had a population of 5,138.
Its capital is the town of the same name, known on the island for its beaches and views of the Gulf of Corcovado
and the Andes
. It has a quieter atmosphere than the larger towns of the province (Ancud
, Castro
and Quellón
). It was founded by Anthony Cipriano in the early nineteenth century.
This community has with the Public Library No. 333, which since 2002 joined the program Biblioredes services
, allowing free access to Internet and technology
services closer to all inhabitants from the community.
with a chapel and in 1771 a new church was built. Jesuit missionaries and Spanish
settlers, granted encomiendas in the area, gradually occupied Queilén.
Between 1818 and 1821 the Spanish
cavalry captain Antonio Cipriano, explored the coastline and drew up maps, preparing the population for military resistance to the expected Chile
an landings. In 1890, in recognition of his accomplishments, the area was named after captain Grille. It seems that the community never accepted the name "Puerto Grille" and simply continued to use Queilén.
, post office
, customs
, telegraph, civil registry
and state schools. In 1937 a fire destroyed 15 houses, this, added to the isolation of the community, contributed to emigration towards Castro
and Ancud
. There was a gradual degeneration of the visual quality of the town, which is now being reversed by the incentive of tourism.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Queilén spans an area of 223.9 sqkm and has 5,138 inhabitants (2,663 men and 2,475 women). Of these, 1,912 (37.2%) lived in urban area
s and 3,226 (62.8%) in rural areas. The population grew by 3.8% (186 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Carlos Gómez Miranda (PDC
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Queilén is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Gabriel Ascencio (PDC) and Alejandro Santana (RN
) as part of the 58th electoral district, (together with Castro
, Ancud
, Quemchi
, Dalcahue
, Curaco de Vélez
, Quinchao
, Puqueldón
, Chonchi
, Quellón
, Chaitén
, Hualaihué
, Futaleufú
and Palena
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Camilo Escalona Medina (PS
) and Carlos Kuschel Silva (RN) as part of the 17th senatorial constituency (Los Lagos 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...
. It covers a portion of the southeast of the Greater Island of Chiloé
Chiloé Island
Chiloé Island , also known as Greater Island of Chiloé , is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean...
, between the communes of Chonchi
Chonchi
Chonchi is a Chilean town and commune located in Los Lagos Region. Chonchi is a truly rural community. The country people have given a distinct form to its valleys, hills and waterways...
, 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...
, Tranqui Island
Tranqui Island
Tranqui is an island of the Chiloé Archipelago shaped like a pencil. It is part of the district of Queilén. It has three sectors: San Jose, Tranqui Nepué and Sentinel, all with small populations. In a significant part of its forest area still has not been touched by subsistence agriculture which...
and Acuy Island
Acuy Island
Acuy is a small island northeast of the town of Queilén. Is about 2 km long and 500 meters wide at its largest points, and therefore has only a small population....
. For the 2002 census, the population of the town had grown to 1,912 inhabitants, according to INE; the municipality had a population of 5,138.
Its capital is the town of the same name, known on the island for its beaches and views of the Gulf of Corcovado
Corcovado National Park (Chile)
Corcovado National Park is an preserved area of Valdivian temperate rainforest, high peaks, alpine lakes, and rivers in Chile's Los Lagos Region. This coastal park borders the same name to the west and includes the iconic volcanoes Corcovado and Yanteles...
and the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. It has a quieter atmosphere than the larger towns of the province (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:...
, 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...
and 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...
). It was founded by Anthony Cipriano in the early nineteenth century.
This community has with the Public Library No. 333, which since 2002 joined the program Biblioredes services
Web service
A Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
, allowing free access to Internet and technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
services closer to all inhabitants from the community.
History
The exact date of the foundation of Queilén is unknown. In 1703 there was an Arab communityArab diaspora
Arab diaspora refers to Arab immigrants, and their descendants who, voluntarily or as refugees, emigrated from their native lands and now reside in non-Arab countries, primarily in Latin America, and Europe, as well as North America and South Asia, parts of Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and West...
with a chapel and in 1771 a new church was built. Jesuit missionaries and Spanish
Spania
Spania was a province of the Roman Empire from 552 until 624 in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. It was a part of the conquests of Roman Emperor Justinian I in an effort to restore the western half of the Empire....
settlers, granted encomiendas in the area, gradually occupied Queilén.
Between 1818 and 1821 the Spanish
Spanish Chilean
Spanish Chileans are Chileans, of Spanish origin, even though most of the original colonial settlers have mixed with the other Europeans that have settled in the country after Independence up to the 20th century....
cavalry captain Antonio Cipriano, explored the coastline and drew up maps, preparing the population for military resistance to the expected 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 landings. In 1890, in recognition of his accomplishments, the area was named after captain Grille. It seems that the community never accepted the name "Puerto Grille" and simply continued to use Queilén.
Architecture
In 1867, Queilén was a little Chilote port with a church. Around 1924 it comprised a few houses, chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
, telegraph, civil registry
Civil registry
Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database is called civil register or registry, or population registry. The primary purpose of civil registration is to create legal documents that are used to...
and state schools. In 1937 a fire destroyed 15 houses, this, added to the isolation of the community, contributed to emigration towards 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...
and 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:...
. There was a gradual degeneration of the visual quality of the town, which is now being reversed by the incentive of tourism.
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...
, Queilén spans an area of 223.9 sqkm and has 5,138 inhabitants (2,663 men and 2,475 women). Of these, 1,912 (37.2%) 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 3,226 (62.8%) in rural areas. The population grew by 3.8% (186 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a commune, Queilén 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 Carlos Gómez Miranda (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, Queilén 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:...
, Chonchi
Chonchi
Chonchi is a Chilean town and commune located in Los Lagos Region. Chonchi is a truly rural community. The country people have given a distinct form to its valleys, hills and waterways...
, 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).