Colchane is a Chilean village and commune in Tamarugal Province, Tarapacá Region. The commune is located in the Andean altiplano, bordering

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. It also includes the localities of Isluga, Enquelga, Cariquima and Chijo.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Colchane had 1,649 inhabitants (910 men and 739 women), and it is entirely rural. The population grew by 5.7% (94 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. It has the country's highest rate of people living under the poverty line at 34.56% (Encuesta Casen, 2006).

Administration

As a commune, Colchane 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, 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. 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 ...

, Colchane 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 Marta Isasi ( Ind.) and Hugo Gutiérrez ( PC) as part of the 2nd electoral district, which includes the entire Tarapacá Region. 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 José Miguel Insulza (PS, 2018–2026) and José Durana (UDI, 2018–2026) as part of the 1st senatorial constituency ( Arica and Parinacota Region and Tarapacá Region).

References

{{Communes in Tarapacá Region Communes of Chile Populated places in El Tamarugal Province Populated places in the Altiplano