Guaitecas


Guaitecas is Chilean commune located in Guaitecas Archipelago which are part of Aysén Province and Region. The administrative centre is Melinka, the only port and town in the Chonos Archipelago.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Guaitecas spans an area of and has 1,539 inhabitants. Of these, 1,411 lived in urban areas and 128 in rural areas. The population grew by 20% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. Much of the population of Guaitecas is of Chilote-Huilliche background.

Administration

As a commune, Guaitecas 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 2008-2012 alcalde was Luis Miranda Chiguay. In December 2018 Cristian Alvarado Oyarzo who was then alcalde was preventively detained as part of an investigation where he is accused of a fraud against the state for at least 340 million pesos.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Guaitecas is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by René Alinco and David Sandoval as part of the 59th electoral district, which includes the entire Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region. The commune is represented in the Senate by Antonio Horvath Kiss and Patricio Walker Prieto as part of the 18th senatorial constituency.