Los Ríos Region
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Los Ríos Region (Spanish: Región de los Ríos) is the 14th region of Chile, created by subdividing the Los Lagos Region in southern Chile.
The region has a population of 356,396 inhabitants (2002 census).
In October 19, 2005 the Chilean President, Ricardo Lagos, signed a bill which was approved by Congress on December 19, 2006 for the creation of Los Ríos Region (The Rivers Region). According to the Roman numeral designation, currently used in Chile, this region is number XIV (fourteenth). However, steps are being taken to no longer refer to the regions by numbers.
The 19 December 2006 the Chamber of Deputies approved the creation of the region with 104 votes in favor, one against and three abstentions. The approved Los Rios Regionis divided in two provinces: Valdivia Province (Valdivia, capital) and Ranco Province (La Unión, capital). The new regional government is to be functional within 180 days. Some final details were left to the government to decide. (spanish) official announcement
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[edit] Background
The new region was established in consideration of territorial, historical and geographic factors. The original Los Lagos Region was one of the largest, most diverse regions in the country, and the integration of the Province of Valdivia was difficult because of its background which differed from the four other provinces of the region, especially the southern provinces of Chiloé and Palena.
Some differences are:
- Valdivia has a colonial past while most of the Los Lagos Region was colonized in the XIX century.
- Valdivia's economy is more oriented to forestry while the other provinces are more active in fishing and cattle farming.
- Valdivia, with 356,396 inhabitants, was the most populated province in the Los Lagos Region, while Palena, in contrast, has only 18,971 residents.
[edit] Osorno
When the new region was considered by Congress, Osorno made several proposals:
- To make Osorno the new capital
- Make La Unión the capital
- Expand Osorno Province adding to it the comuna of Río Bueno.
It was proposed that Osorno Province join as the third province of the new region, instead of remaining the fourth province of Los Lagos Region, however, in a referendum held in 2006 the residents of that province rejected the idea.
[edit] Subdivisions
- Subdivisions approved by the Deputy Chamber:
[edit] History
In the beginning of the Chilean Republic, Valdivia was one of the original eight provinces established. The reason for the incorporation was not so much the value of Valdivia, per se, but to minimize the threat to Chilean independence posed by Spaniards in the territory. As German immigrants arrived in the city during the mid 19th century, the local economy started to develop industries. By 1900, Valdivia was the third most industrialized city in Chile, however, a period of decline started with the world wars. After the Great Chilean Earthquake in 1960, Valdivia fell deeper into decline. Much of the city was destroyed and many people left the city.
In 1974 the military junta reorganized the political divisions of Chile deciding that Valdivia was no longer adequate to be a "first class administrative territory" capital. Hence, it was reclassified into a province within Los Lagos Region and Puerto Montt was designated capital. Valdivians greatly resented this decision because they felt they were better suited to be the capital than Puerto Montt, holding forth the following arguments:
- Valdivia was founded in 1552,
- Valdivia had resisted pirate attacks and hostile natives,
- Valdivia had survived several earthquakes,
- Puerto Montt, founded in 1853, three hundred and one years later, was a considerably newer city.
