Longaví (in Mapudungun: ''snake's head'') is a Chilean

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 Linares Province, one of the four

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

s that make up the Maule Region, in the geographical center of Chile.

Geography

The commune has a surface of and is bordered by Linares in the north, Retiro and Parral in the south, San Javier in the west and Colbún in the east. The Achibueno River separates Longaví from Linares while the Longaví River separates it from Retiro. The city of Longaví lies on the left margin of the Liguay River, in the fertile central plain, and is located to the south of Santiago, the nation's capital, and to the south of Linares, the provincial capital. Longaví is linked with the rest of the country by the Pan-American Highway ('' Ruta 5 Sur''). The foothills of the Andes occupy the eastern part of the commune. The terrain there is mountainous and hilly, with beautiful landscapes, a well-developed hydrographic network and dense woods on the hills. Among the snow-covered mountains, the mountain Longaví ( Nevado de Longaví), a stratovolcano, stands for its beauty and characteristic conical shape. It is a scenic spot seen from virtually every point of the central plain of the province and its neighboring ones.

Demography

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, the Longaví commune has 28,161 inhabitants (14,649 men and 13,512 women). Of these, 21,955 (78.0%) lived in rural areas, while the city of Longaví had a population of 6,206 (22.0%). Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 0.5% (143 persons).

Notable people born in Longaví

Arturo Alessandri Palma Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma (; December 20, 1868 – August 24, 1950) was a Chilean political figure and reformer who served thrice as president of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to ...

: politician, statesman and twice the President of Chile

History

Most of what is today the commune of Longaví occupies what was formerly a vast Jesuit estate, The land had been granted to the Society of Jesus in 1639. After the Jesuits' expulsion from South America in 1767, the estate passed to the hands of Mateo Sotomayor. In 1904, the village of Longaví was officially created and the commune was founded in 1937.

Economy

Agriculture, in particular the cultivation of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

and other cereals, constitutes the main economic activity of Longaví.

Administration

As a commune, Longaví 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 2012-2016 alcalde is Mario Briones Araice ( PPD).The municipal council has the following members: * Matusalen Villar Morales( DC) * Manuel San Martín Romero ( RN) * Robín Araya Acevedo ( UDI) * Luis Briones Araice ( PRSD) * Gonzalo Jara Reyes ( PPD) * Lisandro Villalobos Tapia ( UDI) Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Longaví is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Guillermo Ceroni ( PPD) and

Ignacio Urrutia Ignacio Urrutia Bonilla (born 16 September 1957) is a Chilean people, Chilean politician who has served in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies since 2002. Urrutia is a supporter of Augusto Pinochet. In 2021, he campaigned and v ...

( UDI) as part of the 40th electoral district, together with Retiro, Parral,

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 ...

, Pelluhue and Chanco. The commune is represented in the Senate by Hernán Larraín UDI and Manuel Matta ( PDC) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Longavi Populated places in Linares Province Communes of Chile Populated places established in 1937 1937 establishments in Chile