Quintero


Quintero is a Chilean city and commune in Valparaíso Province, in the Valparaíso Region, 30 kilometers north of Valparaíso. The commune spans an area of. It was the first port in the country, created during the expedition of Don Diego de Almagro.

History

The name of the city comes from Alonso Quintero, the Spanish navigator who discovered the bay in 1536 when he arrived on the ship Santiaguillo.
In the early years of 21st century, Quintero has become famous as a symbol of insufficient environmental policies. Since the beginnings of 20th century when an industrialization politics started, in the zone were built a thermoelectric coal plant by Chilectra and the copper smelter Fundición Ventanas by Codelco in the nearby town of the same name; arriving to this date to be a zone informally known as Industrial Park Quintero-Puchuncaví, including oil industries, liquefied gas terminals, and chemical industries among others, which has caused the bay and surroundings to be considered a "sacrifice zone". Multiple protests about the gradual environmental destruction were unsuccessful, until a serious episode of mass poisoning in August of 2018 put a spotlight on the city's situation and its surroundings in Quintero Bay causing investigations by the Senate of Chile. By October of 2019, the situation remains unresolved.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Quintero had 21,174 inhabitants. Of these, 18,719 lived in urban areas and 2,455 in rural areas. The population grew by 19% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. The demonym for a man from Quintero is Quinterano and Quinterana for a woman.

Administration

As a commune, Quintero 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 José Varas Zuñiga.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Quintero is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Mr. Eduardo Cerda and Mrs. Andrea Molina as part of the 10th electoral district,. The commune is represented in the Senate by Ignacio Walker Prieto and Lily Pérez San Martín as part of the 5th senatorial constituency.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Quintero has a warm-summer mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.