Lebu is a port
city and commune in central
ChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
administered by the Municipality of Lebu. Lebu is also the capital of
Arauco ProvinceArauco Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío . It spans a coastal area of just south of the mouth of the Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major natural regions, Zona Central and Zona Sur...
in
Bío-Bío RegionThe VIII Biobío Region , one of the fifteen first-order administrative divisions in Chile, comprises four provinces: Arauco, Biobio, Concepción, and Ñuble.The capital of the Region is Concepción...
. It lies on the south bank of the mouth of the
Lebu RiverLebu River an important river of the Arauco Province. It has his sources in the western slope of the Nahuelbuta Range to the east of the city and port of Lebu, captital of the province and named for the river....
.
The commune includes Mocha Island.
History
Lebu was first settled a little up the
Lebu RiverLebu River an important river of the Arauco Province. It has his sources in the western slope of the Nahuelbuta Range to the east of the city and port of Lebu, captital of the province and named for the river....
from the site of the current city at Fort Santa Margarita built by García Hurtado de Mendoza at the beginning of 1557 on the north bank of the Lebu River by the salto de Gualgalén, to the west of the ford of Cupaño. In 1566 Governor
Rodrigo de QuirogaRodrigo de Quiroga López de Ulloa was a Spanish conquistador of Galician origin. He was twice the Royal Governor of Chile.-Early life:...
built a fort almost in the same place as the present city of Lebu under the command of captain Agustín de Ahumada. Besieged here by the
MapucheThe Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
it was finally abandoned in 1569.
Fort Santa Margarita was destroyed in 1599, in 1603 it was rebuilt as Fort
Santa Margarita de Austria by the
GovernorThe Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district known as the Kingdom of Chile. This district was also called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the Royal Governor also held the title of a Captain General...
Alonso de RiberaAlonso de Ribera de Pareja was a Spanish soldier and twice Spanish royal governor of Chile .-Early life:...
.
Demographics
Viva Chile
As a commune, Lebu 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 Carlos González Anjari (PS).[1][2]
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Lebu is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Manuel Monsalve (PS) and Iván Norambuena (UDI) as part of the 46th electoral district, (together with Lota, Arauco, Curanilahue, Los Álamos, Cañete, Contulmo and Tirúa). The commune is represented in the Senate by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara (PDC) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).
Administration
As a commune, Lebu is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a
municipal councilA municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by an
alcaldeAlcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, 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 and judge of first instance of a town...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Carlos González Anjari (
PSThe Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Lebu is represented in the
Chamber of DeputiesThe Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Manuel Monsalve (PS) and Iván Norambuena (UDI) as part of the 46th electoral district, (together with
LotaLota is a city and commune located in the center of the Chile on the Gulf of Arauco. It lies within the Concepción Province of the Biobío Region.-History:...
,
AraucoArauco is a city and commune in Chile, located in Arauco Province in the Biobio Region. The meaning of Arauco means Chalky Water in Mapudungun. The region was a Moluche aillarehue...
,
CuranilahueCuranilahue is a Chilean commune and city in Arauco Province, Biobío Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Curanilahue spans an area of and has 31,943 inhabitants . Of these, 30,126 lived in urban areas and 1,817 in rural areas...
,
Los ÁlamosLos 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 . Of these, 16,394 lived in urban areas and 2,238 in rural areas...
, Cañete,
ContulmoContulmo is a Chilean town and commune in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. Colonized by Germans of Berlin since 1884.-Geography:...
and
TirúaTirúa is a Chilean commune and town in Arauco Province, Biobío Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Tirúa spans an area of and has 9,664 inhabitants . Of these, 2,508 lived in urban areas and 7,156 in rural areas...
). The commune is represented in the
SenateThe Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara (
PDCChristian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).