Colbún (
Mapudungun: "Cleaning of the land") is a
Chilean
town 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 ...
in
Linares Province,
Maule Region. The commune has a population of over 17,000 inhabitants and covers an area of , making it the province's largest. Its capital, the town of Colbún, has 3,679 inhabitants (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 in ...
). It is west of the center of
continental Chile
Continental Chile is the name given to the Chilean territory located on the continental shelf of South America. This term serves to distinguish the South American area from the insular territories, known as Insular Chile, as from the Chilean Anta ...
.
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 in ...
of the
National Statistics Institute, Colbún spans an area of and has 17,619 inhabitants (8,943 men and 8,676 women). Of these, 5,152 (29.2%) lived in
urban areas and 12,467 (70.8%) in
rural areas. The population grew by 3.9% (669 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Geography
The Colbún commune is bordered on the west by
Yerbas Buenas; on the southwest by
Linares and
Longaví
Longaví (in Mapudungun: ''snake's head'') is a Chilean city and commune located in Linares Province, one of the four provinces that make up the Maule Region, in the geographical center of Chile.
Geography
The commune has a surface of and is ...
; on the north by
San Clemente
San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway between ...
, (
Talca Province
Talca Province ( es, Provincia de Talca) is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). Its capital is the city of Talca.
Administration
As a province, Talca is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed b ...
); on the east and southeast, by
Argentina, and on the south, by
Parral and
San Fabián; the latter in
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 ...
. The municipality of Colbún occupies the easternmost strip of the
Province of Linares
Linares ( es, Provincia de Linares) is one of four Provinces of Chile, provinces of the central Chilean Regions of Chile, region of Maule Region, Maule (VII). The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares, Chile, Linares.
...
, which boasts some of the highest provincial
peaks Peak or The Peak may refer to:
Basic meanings Geology
* Mountain peak
** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics
* Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion
* Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...
and the headwaters of several provincial rivers.
Foundation and Historical facts
The municipality of Colbún was officially founded December 30, 1927. Prior to that date the municipality was called
Panimávida and had its headquarters in that town. The municipality of Panimávida had been founded May 6, 1906.
From 1913 to 1954 Colbún was the terminus of the narrow gauge
Putagán—Colbún railway originating in the city of
Linares.
La estacion del tren (Spanish)
Retrieved march 4, 2012
Administration
As a commune, Colbún 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 Pedro Pablo Muñoz Oses ( Ind.). The municipal council has the following members:
Attractions
In the vicinity of Colbún there are two well-known Chilean spas: the "Termas de Quinamávida" and the "Termas de Panimávida". In addition, the municipality concentrates the hydroelectric industry of the province, with the important power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many ...
s of Colbún and Machicura. The Colbún dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
lake is a centre for recreation and water sports
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...
although these are highly dependent on water levels, which tend to be erratic.
Local customs
Crafts
Near Panimávida lies the village of Rari, famous for its unique crafts made of horse hair.
References
External links
*
Municipality of Colbún
Aerial view of an area of the municipality of Colbún
Shows the larger Colbún dam lake, to the north-east and the Machicura dam lake to the south-west.
Aerial view of the city of Colbún (Google maps)Aerial view of Panimávida (Google maps)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colbun
Communes of Chile
Populated places established in 1927
Populated places in Linares Province