Cunco, Chile


Cunco is a Chilean commune and city in Cautín Province, Araucanía Region. The town is located 60 km southeast of the city of Temuco and 77 km west of Icalma International Pass.
The major geographical features of this commune are the Allipén River and the Colico Lake.

History

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 accelerater 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 the Andes, when Luis Candelaria flew from Zapala, Argentina, on April 13.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Cunco spans an area of and has 18,703 inhabitants. Of these, 8,806 lived in urban areas and 9,897 in rural areas. The population grew by 2% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Cunco is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a communal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Patricio Mittersteiner Garrido. The communal council has the following members:
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Zapallar belongs to the 52nd electoral district and 15th senatorial constituency.