Chanco, Chile

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Chanco
City seal
Founded July 3, 1849,
Original Name Chanco
Region Maule Region
Area
 - Municipality
 530 km²
Population
 - Municipality
 - Density
9,457 Inhabitants
17.84 /km²
Time zone Santiago Time Zone, UTC- 4
Telephone Prefix 73
Postal code 3720000
Gentilic Chanquino
Mayor Ms. Muriel Muñoz (PDC)
(2004-2008)
170px
Map of Chanco municipality and comuna in the Maule Region.

Chanco (in mapudungun: "branch of a river") is a Chilea town and municipality located in the north-west part of Cauquenes Province, in Maule Region.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Chanco is bordered on the north by Constitución and Empedrado (both in Talca province); on the south by Pelluhue; on the east by Cauquenes, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The area of the municipality is 530 km².

[edit] Demography

According to the 2002 INE census the municipality and comuna of Chanco had 9,457 inhabitants of which 4,856 were male and 4,601 were female. The population is predominantly rural (5,445 people living in rural areas and 4,002 living in urban ones); the town of Chanco concentrates the urban population of the comuna. Between 1992 and 2002, the population of the comuna actually fell by .4%, which represents a net loss of 35 people.

[edit] History

Chanco was founded on 1889 in an old settlement populated by the indigenous people known as promaucaes. Chanco had began as a seaside settlement. However, in the 19th century the coastal dunes advanced eastward and buried the old village and the surrounding crops. At the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the efforts of the German botanist and naturalist Federico Albert the town was saved from being buried again, when Albert started a large-scale project by planting an extense forest west to Chanco and relocating the town eastwards. The forest would be declared a national reserve in 1979 and today it constitutes a frequented touristic attraction in the province of Cauquenes.

[edit] Traditions and Tourism

Chanco was declared "typical zone" in 1999, due to its neo-colonial style. A very popular annual celebration that takes place every February is a festival honoring the late singer Guadalupe of the Carmen (original name Esmeralda González), born in Quilhuiné, near Chanco, who was hugely popular in the region and, in general among Chilean peasants in the 'fifties and 'sixties as an interpreter of Mexican music. The festival, a true tribute to popular Mexican music, represents a major regional event.

[edit] Local administration

The mayor of Chanco is Ms. Muriel Muñoz, of the Christian Democrat Party of Chile (Partido Demócrata Cristiano), and the Municipal Council is composed by the following councillors:

[edit] External links


Maule Region
Cities Cauquenes | Constitución | Curicó | Molina | Linares | Parral | San Javier | Talca | Teno | Curepto
Universities Universidad de Talca | Universidad Católica del Maule | Universidad de Los Lagos
Culture & Sports La Prensa de Curicó | Club Provincial Curicó Unido | Rangers
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