Máfil

Máfil (Mapudungun for embraced between rivers) is a city and commune of the Valdivia Province, Los Ríos Region in southern Chile, about 30 km northeast of Valdivia.

Máfil
Commune
Flag of Máfil
Flag
Coat of arms of Máfil
Coat of arms
Location of the Commune of Máfil
Location of the Commune of Máfil
Location in Chile
Location in Chile
Máfil
Location in Chile
Coordinates: 39°39′S 72°57′W
CountryChile
RegionLos Rios
ProvinceValdivia
Founded17 July 1964
Government
[1]
 • TypeMunicipality
 • AlcaldeClaudio Sepúlveda Miranda
Area
[2]
 • Total582.7 km2 (225.0 sq mi)
Elevation
14 m (46 ft)
Population
 (2012 Census)[2]
 • Total7,212
 • Density12/km2 (32/sq mi)
 • Urban
4,250
 • Rural
3,417
Sex
[2]
 • Men3,773
 • Women3,440
Time zoneUTC-4 (CLT[3])
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (CLST[4])
Area code56 + 63
WebsiteMunicipality of Máfil

The commune is the site of a diary industry[5] and the town of Máfil a local centre of commerce and services such as basic education and a community health center.[6][7] Relative to other communes of Los Ríos Region Máfil stands out for its central position and good road connections to the surrounding communes.[8]

The climate of Máfil is temperate oceanic with at least four dry months.[9] A total of 803 mm of precipitation occurs in winter and 189 mm in summer according to averages calculated in 1989.[10] The natural vegetation of Máfil is Valdivian temperate forests.[9]

The main natural resources of Máfil are the forest and their timber, the gold of Madre de Dios and coal in Pupunahue and Millahuillín.[11][12] The commune has soils of volcanic origin including trumaos.[13]

History

The lands of Máfil were formerly known as Pidey and were chiefly populated by Huilliches.[14] In the second half of the 19th century, German farmers settled in Máfil.[15] The change in name to Máfil is attributed to a land survey map published in 1910 where it appeared.[14] In 1953 a large coal gasification plant began to be developed in Pupunahue by CORFO.[16][17] The plant was to gasify coal using German technology from World War II to then create in the long term a larger plant in Magallanes Region where coal deposits were larger.[18] The building of the gasification plant was halted during the government of Jorge Alessandri and its infrastructure and materials were subsequently either sold, abandoned or stolen.[18]

The commune was created in 1964 during the government of Jorge Alessandri.[19]

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Máfil spans an area of 582.7 km2 (225 sq mi) and has 7,213 inhabitants (3,773 men and 3,440 women). Of these, 3,796 (52.6%) lived in urban areas and 3,417 (47.4%) in rural areas. The population fell by 7% (547 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2] The town of Máfil had 5,237 inhabitants according to the 2017 census.[20]

Administration

As a commune, Máfil 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 alcalde is Claudio Sepúlveda Miranda r.[1]

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Máfil is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Marcos Ilabaca (PS), Gastón von Mühlenbrock (UDI), Bernardo Berger (ind-RN), Patricio Rosas (ind-CS) and Ana María Bravo (PS) as part of the 24th electoral district (Los Ríos Region). The commune is represented in the Senate during the 2022–2030 period by Alfonso de Urresti (PS), Iván Flores (PDC) and María José Gatica (RN) as part of the 12th senatorial constituency (Los Ríos Region).

References
  1. "Municipality of Máfil" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 April 2003. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  2. "National Statistics Institute" (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  3. "Chile Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Archived from the original on 13 July 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  4. "Chile Summer Time". WorldTimeZones.org. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  5. Fierro Ascencio 2009, p. 56.
  6. Fierro Ascencio 2009, p. 62–63.
  7. "Lugares Los Ríos" (in Spanish). Ministry of Health. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  8. Fierro Ascencio 2009, p. 28.
  9. Fierro Ascencio 2009, p. 34.
  10. "Mafil - La Unión". Observatorio Institucional (in Spanish). CIREN. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  11. Fierro Ascencio 2009, pp. 37–38.
  12. Fierro Ascencio 2009, p. 41.
  13. Fierro Ascencio 2009, p. 30.
  14. Fierro Ascencio 2009, p. 19.
  15. Fierro Ascencio 2009, p. 54.
  16. Aliaga Armijo & Sepúlveda Márquez 2009, pp. 17.
  17. Aliaga Armijo & Sepúlveda Márquez 2009, pp. 25.
  18. Aliaga Armijo & Sepúlveda Márquez 2009, pp. 27.
  19. Fierro Ascencio 2009, pp. 20–21.
  20. "Ciudades, pueblos, aldeas y caceríos 2019" (PDF) (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2020.

Books
  • Aliaga Armijo, Paula; Sepúlveda Márquez, Cristian (2009). Memorias Bajo Tierra: (Re)construcción de la Memoria Colectiva en torno a la minería del Cárbon en la Comuna de Máfil (1935-2001) (in Spanish).
  • Fierro Ascencio, Marcia Evelyn (2009). Máfil en la Historia y la Memoria 1930-1964 (in Spanish). ISBN 978-956-8803-00-1.
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