Cunco | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Cunco Location in Chile | |
| Coordinates (city):38°55′S72°02′W / 38.917°S 72.033°W /-38.917; -72.033 | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Araucanía |
| Province | Cautín |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Alcalde | Patricio Mittersteiner Garrido |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,906.5 km2 (736.1 sq mi) |
| As of 2002 | |
| Elevation | 364 m (1,194 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census)[2] | |
• Total | 15,628 |
| • Density | 8.1972/km2 (21.231/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 8,806 |
| • Rural | 9,897 |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 9,203 |
| • Women | 9,500 |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (CLT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−3 (CLST) |
| Postal code | 5010000 |
| Area code | 56 + 45 |
| Website | Municipality of Cunco |
Cunco is aChileancommune andcity inCautín Province,Araucanía Region. The town is located 60 km southeast of the city ofTemuco and 77 km west ofIcalma International Pass.
The major geographical features of this commune are theAllipén River and theColico Lake.
According toFriarErnesto Wilhelm de Moesbach Cunco is etymologically derived from theMapuche language's word for "dark red" (cun) "water" (co) meaning water with volcanic ash or silt.[3]
Cunco was founded by Colonel Gregorio Urrutia in 1883 as a frontier fort, between the marshes Cunco and Nahuelcura, and close to a tributary to the Allipén river. The arrival of the railroad at the beginning of the twentieth century accelerated its urban development. It changed legal status to "commune" on 20 August 1918.
In 1918 Cunco was the ending point of the first flight by an airplane across theAndes, whenLuis Candelaria flew fromZapala, Argentina, on April 13.[4]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1895 | 2,808 | — |
| 1907 | 11,691 | +12.62% |
| 1920 | 12,915 | +0.77% |
| 1930 | 18,269 | +3.53% |
| 1940 | 23,043 | +2.35% |
| 1952 | 21,636 | −0.52% |
| 1970 | 16,119 | −1.62% |
| 1982 | 16,834 | +0.36% |
| 1992 | 18,339 | +0.86% |
| 2002 | 18,703 | +0.20% |
| 2017 | 17,526 | −0.43% |
| 2024 | 19,177 | +1.29% |
| Source:"Censo de Población y Vivienda". National Statistics Institute. | ||
According to the 2002census of theNational Statistics Institute, Cunco spans an area of 1,906.5 km2 (736 sq mi) and has 18,703 inhabitants (9,203 men and 9,500 women). Of these, 8,806 (47.1%) lived inurban areas and 9,897 (52.9%) inrural areas. The population grew by 2% (364 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2]
As acommune, Cunco is a third-leveladministrative division of Chile administered by a communal council, headed by analcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Patricio Mittersteiner Garrido. The communal council has the following members:[1]
Within theelectoral divisions of Chile, Zapallar belongs to the 52nd electoral district and 15th senatorial constituency.
