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Lota is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and
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 ...
located in the center of
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 ...
on the Gulf of Arauco (in Spanish), in the southern Concepción Province of the
Biobío Region The Biobío Region ( es, Región del Biobío ), is one of Chile's sixteen regions of Chile, regions (first-order administrative divisions). With a population of 1.5 million, thus being the third most populated region in Chile, it is divided int ...
, 39 kilometres south of Concepción, and is one of the ten cities (communes) that constitutes the Concepción metropolitan area. The city is mostly known for being the traditional centre of
coal mining in Chile In Chile, coal mining is restricted to a few places located in its southern half. Energy originating from coal stands for 11,6% of Chile's electricity consumption.Ángel de Peredo Ángel de Peredo (born 1623 in Queveda, Cantabria, Spain) was a Knight of the Order of Santiago. He was the President of the Real Audiencia of Chile and then temporary Royal Governor of Chile from May 1662 to February 1664. During his government ...
on October 12, 1662 but it did not survive long amidst the hostilities of the
Arauco War The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force Mapuche ...
. The modern city is linked to the
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
industry that started in the nineteenth century. The first coal seams to be exploited were easy to work because they lay almost at ground level. Coal mining started after the arrival of
steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
s at the port of
Talcahuano Talcahuano () (From Mapudungun ''Tralkawenu'', "Thundering Sky") is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile. Geo ...
. These steam ships, mostly from Britain, initially bought the coal very cheaply. Industrialist
Matías Cousiño Matías Cousiño Jorquera (1810–1863) was a Chilean coal magnate and patriarch of the wealthy Cousiño family. Cousiño's most emblematic coal mine was found in Lota a small coastal town on the coast of the Bío-Bío Region, where steam ships ...
begun mining operations in Lota in 1852. Coal mining transformed Lota from being a sparsely populated frontier zone in the mid-19th century into a large industrial hub that attracted immigrants from all over Chile well into the 20th century. Lota was established officially as a town on January 5, 1875 and became a city on November 30, 1881. The name ''Lota'' is thought to be derived from the
Mapudungun Mapuche (, Mapuche & Spanish: , or Mapudungun; from ' 'land' and ' 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west-central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from ''mapu'' 'land' and ''che ...
word ''Louta'' meaning ''small piece of land''. In 1960 miners and their families started a
general strike A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...
demanding higher salaries. As protesters marched on Concepción the
1960 Concepción earthquake Year 196 ( CXCVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Dexter and Messalla (or, less frequently, year 949 '' Ab urbe condit ...
struck the territory ending the strike. During much of the 20th century the city was a stronghold of pro-Soviet communism. The city's coal mines were
nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
in 1971 by
Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (, , ; 26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 3 November 1970 until his death on 11 September 1973. He was the fir ...
, a move that was welcomed by miners. When Allende was overthrown and a
military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...
established, Lota's political parties and powerful
trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
s were forbidden. People active in these organizations were persecuted, and in some instances killed by the military. Much of the local press was suppressed as it had links to either the trade unions or political parties. In the late 20th century Lota's coal industry began to struggle for markets as
furnace A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion. Furnace may also refer to: Appliances Buildings * Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings * Boiler, used t ...
s, the shipping industry and trains, all of which were important buyers of coal, shifted to other energy sources. There had been concerns as early as the 1920s about the vulnerability of the coal-dependent local economy. One of the problems of Lota's coal industry was difficulty in mechanizing as the coal beds were thin in nature and displaced by many geological faults.Carbón mantiene su sitial en Chile
/ref> Costs also increased as wooden mining supports became more expensive, easily accessible coal beds were depleted and mining had to be done below the sea bed. The mines were closed in the 1990s after demand for Lota's coal resources diminished and cheaper Colombian coal arrived on the market, plunging the residents of Lota into
poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
. The end came in 1997 when Empresa Nacional del Carbón closed the mines and sold the industrial equipment. Subsequently, the mines flooded.
Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
,
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
,
artisan fishing Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fishing households (as opposed to commercial fishing). Many of these households are o ...
and small-scale entrepreneurship have replaced mining as sources of employment, but older miners have found it difficult to adapt. Despite the decline of the coal industry, the Lota community continues to identify with it. Compared to the 1960s and 1970s the city is very much depoliticized; evidence of this is the fact some evangelical churches have more attendants than the offices of political parties.


Points of interest

* Playa Blanca * Playa de Colcura * Chivilingo Hydroelectric Plant *
El Chiflón del Diablo El Chiflón del Diablo or The Devil's Blast (in reference to the natural draft that flows through the mine) is a mine located in Lota, Chile. After coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata ...
* Parque Isidora Goyenechea de Cousiño * Pabellón 83


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 ...
, Lota spans an area of and has 49,089 inhabitants (23,944 men and 25,145 women). Of these, 48,975 (99.8%) 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 114 (0.2%) 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 2.3% (1167 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. In the last years of the 2000s the population fell below 40,000 meaning that the population had halved since the 1980s when it was about 80,000.


Administration

As a commune, Lota 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 was Patricio Marchant Ulloa ( PDC). 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 ...
, Lota has been 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 Manuel Monsalve ( PS) and Iván Norambuena (
UDI Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...
) as part of the 46th electoral district, (comprising Lota,
Lebu Lebu may refer to: * Lebu, Chile, a city and capital of the Arauco Province of the Biobio Region of Chile * Lebu River, located in the Arauco Province of the Biobio Region of Chile * LEBU, acronym for Large Eddy Break Up * Libu or Lebu, Egyptian te ...
, Arauco,
Curanilahue Curanilahue () is a Chilean commune and city in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. Its name comes from Mapundungun "Cura", meaning "Stone", and "Nilahue" meaning "Ford". Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Instit ...
,
Los Álamos Los Álamos is a Chilean commune and city in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Los Álamos spans an area of and has 18,632 inhabitants (9,456 men and 9,176 women). Of ...
, Cañete,
Contulmo Contulmo ( Mapudungun: "place of transit") is a Chilean town and commune in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. Colonized by Germans of Berlin since 1884. Geography Contulmo spans an area of It is bordered by the commune of Cañete to the north a ...
and
Tirúa Tirúa () is a Chilean commune and town in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. The 2010 Chile earthquake led to a permanent uplift of Tirúa of about 180 cm above sea level, the highest recorded uplift related to the earthquake. This caused a large i ...
). The commune has been 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 Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara ( PDC) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).


References


Francisco Solano Asta Buruaga y Cienfuegos, Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile, Pg 387-388


External links

*
Municipality of Lota
*
fair of Lota
{{Authority control Communes of Chile Populated places established in 1667 Populated places in Concepción Province 1667 establishments in the Spanish Empire Coasts of Biobío Region Port cities in Chile