Cobquecura

Cobquecura
—  Town and Commune  —
Coat of arms
Location of the Cobquecura commune in the Biobío Region
Cobquecura Location in Chile
Coordinates: 36°08′S 72°47′W / 36.133°S 72.783°W / -36.133; -72.783Coordinates: 36°08′S 72°47′W / 36.133°S 72.783°W / -36.133; -72.783
Country	Chile
Region	Biobío
Province	Ñuble
Government[1][2]
- Type	Municipality
- Alcalde	Julio Manuel Fuentes Alarcón (PRSD)
Area[3]
- Total	570.3 km2 (220.2 sq mi)
Population (2002 Census)[3]
- Total	5,687
- Density	10/km2 (25.8/sq mi)
- Urban	1,493
- Rural	4,193
Sex[3]
- Men	3,032
- Women	2,655
Time zone	CLT [4] (UTC-4)
- Summer (DST)	CLST [5] (UTC-3)
Area code(s)	country 56 + city ?
Website	Municipality of Cobquecura

Cobquecura is a town and commune (Spanish: comuna) in the Ñuble Province of Chile's eighth region of Biobío (VIII Región de Biobío). The town is located on the northwest Pacific coast of the Ñuble Province about 420 km (261 mi) southwest of the national capital of Santiago.

On February 27, 2010 Cobquecura was the epicenter of the huge earthquake and tsunami that hit Chile at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), rating a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale and lasting for about three minutes.^[6][7] According to preliminary reports, approximately 95% of households in the town were destroyed but there were no fatalities.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Cobquecura spans an area of 570.3 km² (220 sq mi) and has 5,687 inhabitants (3,032 men and 2,655 women). Of these, 1,493 (26.3%) lived in urban areas and 4,194 (73.7%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 9.1% (570 persons).^[3]

Administration

As a commune, Cobquecura 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 Julio Manuel Fuentes Alarcón (PRSD).The municipal council has the following members:^[1][2]

• Luis Enrique Rodríguez Alarcón (PS)
• Lautaro Igor Millanao Mora (PDC)
• Guillermo Salgado Contreras (ILF)
• Jacqueline Elizabeth Pacheco Alacón (RN)
• Temistocle Vera Irribarra (PRSD)
• Jose Pedro Cifuentes Crisostomo (RN)

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Cobquecura is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Jorge Sabag (PDC) and Frank Sauerbaum (RN) as part of the 42nd electoral district, (together with San Fabián, Ñiquén, San Carlos, San Nicolás, Ninhue, Quirihue, Treguaco, Portezuelo, Coelemu, Ránquil, Quillón, Bulnes, Cabrero and Yumbel). The commune is represented in the Senate by Alejandro Navarro Brain (MAS) and Hosain Sabag Castillo (PDC) as part of the 12th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Cordillera).

References

1. ^ ^{a b} (Spanish) "Asociación Chilena de Municipalidades". http://www.cobquecura.cl/. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} (Spanish) "Municipality of Cobquecura". http://www.cobquecura.cl/. Retrieved 7 February 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} (Spanish) "National Statistics Institute". http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/censos_poblacion_vivienda/censo_pobl_vivi.php. Retrieved 3 September 2010. 
4. ^ "Chile Time". WorldTimeZones.org. http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-time.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
5. ^ "Chile Summer Time". WorldTimeZones.org. http://www.world-time-zones.org/zones/chile-summer-time.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-28. 
6. ^ "USGS Earthquake Details". United States Geological Survey. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2010/us2010tfan/. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 
7. ^ Patrick Sawer (February 27, 2010). "Huge earthquake hits Chile". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/chile/7329357/Huge-earthquake-hits-Chile.html. Retrieved February 27, 2010. 

External links

• (Spanish) Municipality of Cobquecura