Perquenco


Perquenco is a town and commune in southern Chile's Araucanía Region. The town was declared capital of the Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia by Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, but soon after it was occupied by Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez who was in charge of the Chilean occupation of the Araucanía.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Perquenco spans an area of and has 6,450 inhabitants. Of these, 2,929 lived in urban areas and 3,521 in rural areas. The population grew by 9.6% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Perquenco 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 is Luis Alberto Muñoz Pérez.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Perquenco is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Enrique Estay and Fuad Chahín as part of the 49th electoral district,. The commune is represented in the Senate by Alberto Espina Otero and Jaime Quintana Leal as part of the 14th senatorial constituency.