Lota, Chile
Encyclopedia
Lota 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.
on October 12, 1662 but it did not survive long in the hostilities of the Arauco War
. The modern city grew with the coal mining
industry in the mid-nineteenth century. It was established as a town on January 5, 1875 and became a city on 30 of November 1881. The name Lota is thought to be derived from a Mapudungun
word Louta meaning small or insignificant settlement.
The city's coal mines were nationalized by Salvador Allende
due to civil unrest and heavy Socialist support, but privatized
again under Augusto Pinochet
. In the 1990s, after Lota's coal resources were nearly exhausted and cheaper Colombian coal came on the market, the mines were closed, plunging the residents of Lota into poverty
.
Today, Lota is one of the poorest cities in Chile and is trying to turn its economy towards tourism. Tourist attractions include guided visits to the coal mine, White Beach, the Park of Lota (created by the Cousiño family), and the Historical Museum of Lota. Lota also has Chile's oldest hydroelectric power station, the Chivilingo Hydroelectric Plant
, designed by Thomas Edison
and built in 1897. It is recently considerated as part of Greater Concepcion
conurbation.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Lota spans an area of 135.8 sqkm and has 49,089 inhabitants (23,944 men and 25,145 women). Of these, 48,975 (99.8%) lived in urban area
s and 114 (0.2%) in rural areas. The population fell by 2.3% (1167 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Jorge Venegas Troncoso (ILD).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Lota 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, Lebu
, 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).
Chile
Chile ,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...
on the Gulf of Arauco. It lies within the Concepción Province
Concepción Province, Chile
Concepción Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío . Its capital, Concepción, is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation, the nation's second largest metropolitan area after Santiago.-Administration:...
of the Biobío Region.
History
The first Spanish settlement, Santa Maria de Guadalupe was founded by the governor Ángel de PeredoÁngel de Peredo
Ángel de Peredo was born in 1623, in the small town of Queveda in Cantabria, Spain, and 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 of 1664...
on October 12, 1662 but it did not survive long in the hostilities of the Arauco War
Arauco War
The Arauco War was a conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people in what is now the Araucanía and Biobío regions of modern Chile...
. The modern city grew with the coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain 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 iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
industry in the mid-nineteenth century. It was established as a town on January 5, 1875 and became a city on 30 of November 1881. The name Lota is thought to be derived from a Mapudungun
Mapudungun
The Mapuche language, Mapudungun is a language isolate spoken in south-central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people. It is also spelled Mapuzugun and sometimes called Mapudungu or Araucanian...
word Louta meaning small or insignificant settlement.
The city's coal mines were nationalized by Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
due to civil unrest and heavy Socialist support, but privatized
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
again under Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
. In the 1990s, after Lota's coal resources were nearly exhausted and cheaper Colombian coal came on the market, the mines were closed, plunging the residents of Lota into poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
.
Today, Lota is one of the poorest cities in Chile and is trying to turn its economy towards tourism. Tourist attractions include guided visits to the coal mine, White Beach, the Park of Lota (created by the Cousiño family), and the Historical Museum of Lota. Lota also has Chile's oldest hydroelectric power station, the Chivilingo Hydroelectric Plant
Chivilingo Hydroelectric Plant
Chivilingo Hydroelectric Plant is a historic hydroelectric power station located 14 kilometers south of Lota, Chile. It came on line in 1897, and was the first hydroelectric plant in Chile and the second in South America...
, designed by Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
and built in 1897. It is recently considerated as part of Greater Concepcion
Greater Concepción
Gran Concepción is the second largest conurbation in Chile, after Greater Santiago with 1,013,856 inhabitants. According to the National Statistics Institute , the population projection for 2012 is 1,019,775 inhabitants....
conurbation.
Points of interest
- Chivilingo Hydroelectric PlantChivilingo Hydroelectric PlantChivilingo Hydroelectric Plant is a historic hydroelectric power station located 14 kilometers south of Lota, Chile. It came on line in 1897, and was the first hydroelectric plant in Chile and the second in South America...
- El Chiflón del DiabloEl Chiflón del DiabloEl Chiflón del Diablo or The Devil's Blast is a mine located in Lota, Chile. After coal production fell in the Lota area in the 1990s, the mine was shut down. Currently, El Chiflón del Diablo serves as tourist attraction.-External links:* ....
- Parque Isidora Goyenechea de Cousiño
Demographics
According to the 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
, Lota spans an area of 135.8 sqkm and has 49,089 inhabitants (23,944 men and 25,145 women). Of these, 48,975 (99.8%) lived in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and 114 (0.2%) in rural areas. The population fell by 2.3% (1167 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a commune, Lota is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal councilMunicipal council
A 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 alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , 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 Jorge Venegas Troncoso (ILD).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Lota is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The 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
Socialist Party of Chile
The 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...
) and Iván Norambuena (UDI) as part of the 46th electoral district, (together with Lota, Lebu
Lebu, Chile
Lebu is a port city and commune in central Chile administered by the Municipality of Lebu. Lebu is also the capital of Arauco Province in Bío-Bío Region...
, Arauco
Arauco, Chile
Arauco 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...
, Curanilahue
Curanilahue
Curanilahue 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 Álamos
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 . Of these, 16,394 lived in urban areas and 2,238 in rural areas...
, Cañete, Contulmo
Contulmo
Contulmo is a Chilean town and commune in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. Colonized by Germans of Berlin since 1884.-Geography:...
and Tirúa
Tirúa
Tirúa 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 Senate
Senate of Chile
The 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 (PDC
Christian Democratic Party
Christian 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).