Retiro | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms  Location of the Retiro commune in the Maule Region   Retiro Location in Chile | |
| Coordinates (city):36°02′S71°46′W / 36.033°S 71.767°W /-36.033; -71.767 | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Maule |
| Province | Linares |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Alcalde | Patricio Contreras Contreras (PDC) |
| Area | |
• Total | 827.1 km2 (319.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 143 m (469 ft) |
| Population (2012 Census)[2] | |
• Total | 18,754 |
| • Density | 22.67/km2 (58.73/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 4,708 |
| • Rural | 13,779 |
| Sex | |
| • Men | 9,451 |
| • Women | 9,036 |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (CLT[3]) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (CLST[4]) |
| Postal code | 3640000 |
| Area code | 56 + 73 |
| Website | www |
Retiro is atown andcommune inChile, located inLinares Province, in the seventhregion ofMaule.
Retiro is located 335 km (208 mi) to the south ofSantiago, 27 km (17 mi) to the south of the city ofLinares (the provincial capital), and 15 km to the north of the city ofParral. The municipality has a surface of 827.1 km2 (319 sq mi)[2] and is bordered bySan Javier andLongaví on the north, by Parral on the south, byCauquenes (Province of Cauquenes), on the west and by Longaví on the east.
The commune was founded officially on December 22, 1891. PresidentRamón Barros Luco owned a manor house in this area. Retiro was, therefore, visited frequently by well-known politicians and statesmen of the time, and in general by those that contributed to the decision-making process in the country affairs. The name of "Retiro" (Retirement) was given to the commune on account of being the place of retirement - leisure - of President Barros Luco.
According to data from the 2002 Census of Population and Housing, the population of the commune of Retiro was 18,487; of these, 4,708 (25.4%) lived inurban areas and 13,779 (74.5%) inrural areas. At that time, there were 9,036 women and 9,451, men.[2] The town of Retiro, has 3,300 inhabitants, whereas Copihue, the second most populated locality in the commune has 1,300 and the village of Villaseca, slightly more than 300. Between 1992 and 2002, the communal population dropped by 6.2% from its 1992 population of 19,703 (a drop of 1,216 persons).[2] During the same period of time, the population of the town of Retiro grew only marginally (70 people).
Agriculture, in particularwine producing andcereals cultivation constitutes the main economic activity of Retiro. The commune lies within theMaule Valley subregion of theViticultural Region of theCentral Valley of Chile.
In the area of Copihue (in the southern border of the commune, next to thePan-American Highway or Ruta 5 Sur), lies the largerpoplar wood of the country. It is owned by the "Compañía Chilena de Fósforos".
As a commune, Retiro is a third-leveladministrative division of Chile administered by amunicipal council, headed by analcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Patricio Contreras Contreras (PDC).[1]
Within theelectoral divisions of Chile, Retiro is represented in theChamber of Deputies byGuillermo Ceroni (PPD) and Ignacio Urrutia (UDI) as part of the 40th electoral district, together withLongaví,Parral,Cauquenes,Pelluhue andChanco. The commune is represented in theSenate byHernán Larraín (UDI) and Ximena Rincón González (PDC) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).
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