Santa Bárbara, Chile
Encyclopedia
Santa Bárbara is a Chile
an city and commune in Biobío Province
, Biobío Region. In 2004 a great portion of its territory was taken off to form the new commune of Alto Biobío
.
first as the fort of Santa Bárbara in 1756. The governor populated and erected the town of Santa Bárbara there on July 4, 1758. The town and fort was improved during the government of Ambrosio O' Higgins
and became an important post for containing the malone
s of the Pehuenche
s. In January 1819 it was depopulated and in 1821 it was burned by the royalist Juan Manuel Picó. It remained in ruins until 1833 when it began to be repopulated under the direction of the commander Domingo Salvo. It eventually developed to the point it was again recognized as a town January 2, 1871.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Santa Bárbara spans an area of 3379.5 sqkm and has 19,970 inhabitants (10,835 men and 9,135 women). Of these, 7,932 (39.7%) lived in urban area
s and 12,038 (60.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 67.8% (8,069 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Daniel Enrique Iraira Sagredo (ILE).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Santa Bárbara is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Juan Lobos (UDI) and José Pérez (PRSD
) as part of the 47th electoral district, (together with Los Ángeles
, Tucapel
, Antuco, Quilleco
, Quilaco
, Mulchén
, Negrete
, Nacimiento
, San Rosendo
, Laja
and Alto Biobío
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara (PDC
) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-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 city and commune in Biobío Province
Biobío Province
Biobío Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío . Its capital is Los Ángeles . It is bounded on the north, west and south by the provinces of Concepción, Arauco and Malleco, respectively, and on the east by Argentina. It has an area of of well-wooded and mountainous...
, Biobío Region. In 2004 a great portion of its territory was taken off to form the new commune of Alto Biobío
Alto Biobío
Alto Biobío is a Chilean commune located in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region. The commune spans an area of .-History:The commune was created 25 August 2003, separating the southeast portion from the existing Santa Bárbara commune.-Demographics:...
.
History
The city of Santa Bárbara lies on the north bank of the Biobío River, and was established by Manuel de Amat y JunietManuel de Amat y Juniet
Felipe Manuel Cayetano de Amat y de Juniet was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator. He was the Royal Governor of the Captaincy General of Chile from December 28, 1755 to September 9, 1761, and Viceroy of Peru from October 12, 1761 to July 17, 1776.-Origins and military...
first as the fort of Santa Bárbara in 1756. The governor populated and erected the town of Santa Bárbara there on July 4, 1758. The town and fort was improved during the government of Ambrosio O' Higgins
Ambrosio O'Higgins, Marquis of Osorno
Ambrosio Bernardo O'Higgins, 1st Marquis of Osorno born Ambrose Bernard O'Higgins , was a member of the O'Higgins family and an Irish-born Spanish colonial administrator...
and became an important post for containing the malone
Malone
Malone is a family name. From the Irish "Mael Eòin", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John.- People with the surname :* Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin, historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, died 1127...
s of the Pehuenche
Pehuenche
Pehuenches are an indigenous people that are part of the Mapuche peoples and live in the Andes in south central Chile and Argentina. Their name derives from their habit of harvesting of piñones, the seeds of the Araucaria araucana or pehuén...
s. In January 1819 it was depopulated and in 1821 it was burned by the royalist Juan Manuel Picó. It remained in ruins until 1833 when it began to be repopulated under the direction of the commander Domingo Salvo. It eventually developed to the point it was again recognized as a town January 2, 1871.
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...
, Santa Bárbara spans an area of 3379.5 sqkm and has 19,970 inhabitants (10,835 men and 9,135 women). Of these, 7,932 (39.7%) 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 12,038 (60.3%) in rural areas. The population grew by 67.8% (8,069 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a commune, Santa Bárbara 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 Daniel Enrique Iraira Sagredo (ILE).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Santa Bárbara 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 Juan Lobos (UDI) and José Pérez (PRSD
Social Democrat Radical Party
The Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
) as part of the 47th electoral district, (together with Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Tucapel
Tucapel
Tucapel is a town and commune in the Arauco Province, Biobío Region, Chile. It was once a region of Araucanía named for the Tucapel River. The name of the region derived from the rehue and aillarehue of the Moluche people of the area between the Lebu and the Lleulleu Rivers, who were famed for...
, Antuco, Quilleco
Quilleco
Quilleco is a Chilean town and commune located in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Quilleco spans an area of and has 10,428 inhabitants . Of these, 5,486 lived in urban areas and 4,942 in rural areas...
, Quilaco
Quilaco
Quilaco is a Chilean town and commune located in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region. The commune spans an area of .-History:Quilaco has two accepted meanings: "Three waters" or "Quila in the water". The town has its roots in the Mapuche and Spanish races, as produced with the arrival of Franciscan...
, Mulchén
Mulchén
Mulchén is a city and commune in Biobío Province of Biobío Region, Chile. It was first settled in 1871 by soldiers during the so called Pacification of the Araucania. In 1875 Mulchén was officially founded....
, Negrete
Negrete
Negrete is a Chilean town and commune in Biobío Province, Biobío Region. It is bordered by the commune of Los Ángeles to the north, Renaico to the south, Mulchén to the east and Nacimiento to the west....
, Nacimiento
Nacimiento, Chile
Nacimiento is a Chilean city situated in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region, south of Santiago, and from the closest major city in the region, Concepción....
, San Rosendo
San Rosendo
San Rosendo is a Chilean city and commune in Biobío Province, Biobío Region.The city of San Rosendo lies on the gentle slopes of a hill overlooking the confluence of the rivers Biobío and Laja, which respectively bound the city to the west and south...
, Laja
Laja
Laja is a location in the La Paz Department in Bolivia. It is the seat of the Laja Municipality, the second municipal section of the Los Andes Province.- References :*...
and Alto Biobío
Alto Biobío
Alto Biobío is a Chilean commune located in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region. The commune spans an area of .-History:The commune was created 25 August 2003, separating the southeast portion from the existing Santa Bárbara commune.-Demographics:...
). 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 Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara (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 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).
Further reading
- Francisco Solano Asta Buruaga y Cienfuegos, Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile, SEGUNDA EDICIÓN CORREGIDA Y AUMENTADA, NUEVA YORK, D. APPLETON Y COMPAÑÍA. 1899. pg.737 Santa Bárbara. — Villa