Ñiquén is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

of the

Punilla Province Punilla Province is one of the three provinces of the Ñuble Region of Chile Communes * San Carlos * San Nicolás *San Fabián *Coihueco *Ñiquén Ñiquén is a commune of the Punilla Province, located in the north of the Ñuble Region of Chi ...

, located in the north of the

Ñuble Region The Ñuble Region ( es, Región de Ñuble), officially the Region of Ñuble ( es, Región de Ñuble), is — since 5 September 2018 – one of Chile's sixteen regions. It spans an area of , making it the smallest region in Chile in terms of area ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Geographically, it is delimited by the

Perquilauquén River The Perquilauquén River (mapudungun: for "purgative") is a tributary of the Loncomilla river, in the Maule Region of Chile. The river joins the Longaví to form the Loncomilla, a tributary of the Maule river. Geography The Perquilauquén flows ...

to the north and the Ñiquén River in the south. Its boundary to the north is the commune of Parral and to the west that of

Cauquenes Cauquenes, a city and commune in Chile, is the capital of the Cauquenes Province and is located in the Maule Region. History According to the historical records of Alonso de Ercilla, Cauquenes was originally inhabited by an indigenous community o ...

both in the

Maule Region The Maule Region ( es, Región del Maule, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region derives its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a ...

, to the south with the commune of San Carlos, and to the east with San Fabian de Alico. The town of San Gregorio is the capital of this commune.

Demographics

According to the 2002

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of the

National Statistics Institute National Institute of Statistics may refer to: *National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia *National Institute of Statistics of Cambodia *National Institute of Statistics and Census of Costa Rica *National Institute of Statistics and Census of Nica ...

, Ñiquén spans an area of and has 11,421 inhabitants (5,886 men and 5,535 women). Of these, 1,143 (10%) lived in

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

s and 10,278 (90%) in

rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

s. The population fell by 13.2% (1735 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Ñiquén is a third-level

administrative division of Chile The administrative division or territorial organization of Chile exemplifies characteristics of a unitary state. State administration is functionally and geographically decentralized, as appropriate for each authority in accordance with the law. ...

administered by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

, headed by an

alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) a ...

who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Domingo Garrido Torres ( PPD). Within the

electoral divisions of Chile Chile has two distinct electoral division systems: * To elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, Chile is divided into several electoral divisions, namely electoral districts and senatorial constituencies. * To elect members of ...

, Ñiquén is represented in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

by Jorge Sabag ( PDC) and Frank Sauerbaum ( RN) as part of the 42nd electoral district, together with

San Fabián San Fabián is the easternmost of 21 communes in the Punilla Province of central Chile's. Ñuble Region. The capital is the town of San Fabián de Alico. The commune spans an area of . Administration As a commune, San Fabián is administered by ...

, San Carlos, San Nicolás,

Ninhue Ninhue () is a Chilean commune and town in the Itata Province, Ñuble Region. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Ninhue spans an area of and has 5,738 inhabitants (2,920 men and 2,818 women). Of these ...

Quirihue Quirihue () is a Chilean city in Quirihue, Itata Province, Ñuble Region. It is located about 72 kilometers northwest of Chillán and 410 km southwest of Santiago. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institut ...

Cobquecura Cobquecura is a commune in the Region of Ñuble (Spanish: ''comuna'') in the Province of Itata Chile's Region of Ñuble. The town is located on the northwest Pacific coast of the Itata Province about southwest of the national capital of Santi ...

Treguaco Treguaco (), also spelled as Trehuaco (), is a Chilean city and Communes of Chile, commune in Itata Province, Ñuble Region. The commune spans an area of . Demographics According to data from the 2002 Census of Population and Housing, the Tregua ...

, Portezuelo,

Coelemu Coelemu is a Chilean commune and city in Itata Province, Ñuble Region. According to the 2002 census, the commune population was 16,082 and has an area of . Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Coelemu ...

Ránquil Ránquil is a Chilean commune in Itata Province, Ñuble Region. The communal capital is the town of Ránquil. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute Ránquil had 5,683 inhabitants (2,896 men and 2,787 wom ...

Quillón Quillón is a Chilean city and commune and Diguillín Province, Ñuble Region. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Quillón spans an area of and has 15,146 inhabitants (7,699 men and 7,447 women). Of ...

, Bulnes, Cabrero and

Yumbel Yumbel is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune of the Bío Bío Province, Province of Bío Bío in the Region of Biobio, region of the same name, Chile. History Yumbel originated from the small fort of ''San Felipe de Aus ...

. The commune is represented in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

by Alejandro Navarro Brain (

MAS Mas, Más or MAS may refer to: Film and TV * Más y Menos, fictional superhero characters, from the Teen Titans animated television series * Más (Breaking Bad), "Más" (''Breaking Bad''), a season three episode of ''Breaking Bad'' Songs * Más ( ...

) and Hosain Sabag Castillo (PDC) as part of the 12th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Cordillera).

References

External links

*
Municipality of Ñiquén
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niquen Geography of Ñuble Region 1891 establishments in Chile