Quilleco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Quilleco
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Town and Commune
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| Country | Chile | ||||
| Region | Bío Bío | ||||
| Province | Bío Bío | ||||
| Government | |||||
| • Type | Municipality | ||||
| Area | |||||
| • Total | 1,121.8 km2 (433.1 sq mi) | ||||
| Elevation | 366 m (1,201 ft) | ||||
| Population
(2017 Census)
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| • Total | 9.587 | ||||
| • Density | 0.0085461/km2 (0.0221343/sq mi) | ||||
| Sex | |||||
| • Men | 4.720 | ||||
| • Women | 4.867 | ||||
| Time zone | UTC-4 (CLT) | ||||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (CLST) | ||||
| Area code(s) | 56 + 43 | ||||
| Website | Municipality of Quilleco | ||||
Quilleco is a town and a type of local government area called a "commune" in Chile. Its name means "water of tears." You can find Quilleco in the Bío Bío Province, which is part of the Bío Bío Region.
People and Population in Quilleco
A census is like a big count of all the people living in an area. The 2002 census, done by Chile's National Statistics Institute, showed that Quilleco covers about 1,121.8 square kilometers.
At that time, 10,428 people lived there. This included 5,378 men and 5,050 women. More than half of the people (52.6%) lived in urban areas, which are like towns or cities. The rest (47.4%) lived in rural areas, which are more like the countryside.
Between 1992 and 2002, the population of Quilleco went down slightly by 64 people.
Quilleco's Economy
The main way people in Quilleco make a living is through farming. They grow traditional crops like beets and wheat. There are also huge farms with special trees like radiata pine and eucalyptus. These trees are grown for wood and other products.
Another important activity in Quilleco is making electricity. There are two power plants, one in Rucúe and another in Quilleco. The Quilleco power plant was opened on July 23, 2007, by former president Michelle Bachelet.
These power plants use the water from the Laja River and its smaller streams to create electricity. The Rucúe plant can produce 160 MW of power. It makes about 1,190 GWh of electricity each year. The Quilleco plant can produce 70 MW and makes about 450 GWh annually.
How Quilleco is Governed
Quilleco is a "commune," which means it's a local area with its own government. This government is run by a municipal council. The leader of the council is called an alcalde, who is like a mayor. The alcalde is chosen by the people in an election every four years.
From 2008 to 2012, the alcalde was Rodrigo Tapia Avello. The municipal council during that time included:
- Sergio Daniel Espinoza Almendras (from the PDC)
- Claudio Velosos Vallejos (Independent)
- Miriam Soto Quezada (from the PRSD)
- Omar Parra Lagos (Independent)
- German Sepulveda Mellado (from the PS)
- Eduardo Bartholomaus Strick (from the UDI)
Quilleco is also part of a larger area for national elections. For example, when people vote for members of the Chamber of Deputies (which is like a parliament), Quilleco is grouped with many other towns. These towns include Los Ángeles, Tucapel, Antuco, Santa Bárbara, Quilaco, Mulchén, Negrete, Nacimiento, San Rosendo, Laja, and Alto Bío Bío.
For the Senate (another part of the national government), Quilleco is part of the 13th senatorial area, called Biobío-Coast.
See also
In Spanish: Quilleco para niños
