Torres del Paine is a

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 ...

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 inland of Última Esperanza Province and

Magallanes Region The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region ( es, Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena), is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and second lea ...

. The commune is administered by the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Cerro Castillo : Cerro Castillo is a jagged rocky peak located in the Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region of Chile, within the Cerro Castillo National Park. ''Castillo'' means ''castle'' in Spanish, and the steep basalt walls of the mountai ...

, the major settlement in the commune.

Torres del Paine National Park Torres del Paine National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Torres del Paine) is a national park encompassing mountains, glaciers, lakes, and rivers in southern Chilean Patagonia. The Cordillera del Paine is the centerpiece of the park. It lies in a tr ...

lies within the commune. ''Paine'' means "blue" in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language and is pronounced ''PIE-nay''.Abraham, Rudolf (2011). ''Torres del Paine: Trekking in Chile's Premier National Park''. Milnthorpe: Cicerone Press
p. 17
. Retrieved 4 August 2015.

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 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 ...

, Torres del Paine spans an area of and has 739 inhabitants (543 men and 196 women), making the commune an entirely

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 descr ...

. The population grew by 53.3% (257 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Torres del Paine is a third-level administrative division of Chile 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 counc ...

, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is Anahi Cardenas Rodríguez ( Ind.). Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Torres del Paine is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Juan Morano ( PDC) and

Gabriel Boric Gabriel Boric Font (; born 11 February 1986) is a Chilean left-wing politician who is the 37th and current president of Chile, serving since 11 March 2022. Boric studied in the Faculty of Law at the University of Chile, and was the president o ...

( Ind.) as part of the 60th electoral district, which includes the entire

Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region Magallanes may refer to: * Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521), Portuguese explorer who led part of the first expedition around the world * Strait of Magellan, the strait between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, located in Chile Places * Magallanes ...

. The commune is represented in the Senate by Carlos Bianchi Chelech (Ind.) and Carolina Goic ( PDC) as part of the 19th senatorial constituency (Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region).

Gallery

Image:Habitacional Castillo 014.jpg, Field Image:Cordillera del Paine, Torres del Paine National Park.jpg, Torres del Paine Image:Lago Grey,Chile o.jpg, Lake Grey Image:PN Torres del Paine.jpg, Lake Toro File:Monte Almirante Nieto.jpg, Almirante Nieto Massif
Oil on canvas
Eugenio Cruz Vargas

References

External links

*
Municipality of Torres del Paine
{{Authority control Communes of Chile Populated places in Última Esperanza Province Populated places in Magallanes Region