La Unión, Chile

La Unión is a city and commune of the Ranco Province in the Los Ríos Region in Chile. It is situated approximately 40km north of Osorno and 80km southeast of Valdivia. Covering an area of 2,136.7km², it has a population of 36,447, of which 25,615 are considered part of the urban population, according to the 2012 census. The commune derived its name from the confluence of the Llollelhue and Radimadi rivers.

La Unión
city and commune
Plaza de la Concordia, La Unión
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of La Unión commune in Los Ríos Region
La Unión
Location in Chile
Coordinates (city): 40°17′S 73°5′W
CountryChile
RegionLos Ríos
ProvinceRanco
Founded asVilla de San José de La Unión
Founded13 February 1821
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • AlcaldeAldo Pinuer Solís
Area
 • Total2,136.7 km2 (825.0 sq mi)
Elevation
28 m (92 ft)
Population
 (2012 census)[2]
 • Total36,447
 • Density17/km2 (44/sq mi)
 • Urban
25,615
 • Rural
13,832
Demonym(s)unionino
Sex
 • Men20,125
 • Women19,322
Time zoneUTC−4 (CLT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−3 (CLST)
Area code(s)56 + 63
ClimateCfb
WebsiteOfficial website (in Spanish)

La Unión was founded in 1821 during the government of Bernardo O'Higgins, to secure sovereignty over the Central Valley south of Valdivia. It is a major centre for milk production; COLUN is the main milk and dairy product producer in the zone. The commune is covered in forest to the west of the city and the east is dominated by agricultural landscapes spanning Los Llanos. Alerce Costero National Park lies in the western mountains.

The city served until 2001 as a dormitory town for the coal mines of Catamutún.[3][4]

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, La Unión spans an area of 2,136.7 km2 (825 sq mi) and has 39,447 inhabitants (20,125 men and 19,322 women). Of these, 25,615 (64.9%) lived in urban areas and 13,832 (35.1%) in rural areas. The population grew by 1.8% (707 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2]

Administration

As a commune, La Unión is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is María Angelica Astudillo Mautz.[1]

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, La Unión is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Mr. Enrique Jaramillo (PDC) and Mr. Gastón Von Mühlenbrock (UDI) as part of the 54th electoral district, (together with Panguipulli, Los Lagos, Futrono, Lago Ranco, Río Bueno and Paillaco). The commune is represented in the Senate by Andrés Allamand Zavala (RN) and Eduardo Frei Ruiz -Tagle (PDC) as part of the 16th senatorial constituency (Los Ríos Region).

Education

Deutsche Schule La Unión was at one time recognized as an overseas German school by the West German government.[5]

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References
  1. "Municipality of La Unión" (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  2. "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  3. Davis, Eliodoro Martín (1990). "Breves recuerdos de algunas actividades mineras del carbón". Actas. Segundo Simposio sobre el Terciario de Chile (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Departamento de Geociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Concepción. pp. 189–203.
  4. Carbon Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine. CNE. Accessed on September 10. 2012.
  5. "Deutscher Bundestag 4. Wahlperiode Drucksache IV/3672" (Archive). Bundestag (West Germany). 23 June 1965. Retrieved on 12 March 2016. p. 24/51.
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