# Cunco, Chile

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City and Commune in Araucanía, Chile

Cunco City and Commune Map of Carahue commune in the Araucanía Region Cunco Location in Chile Coordinates (city): 38°55′S 72°02′W / 38.917°S 72.033°W / -38.917; -72.033 Country Chile Region Araucanía Province Cautín Government [1] • Type Municipality • Alcalde Patricio Mittersteiner Garrido Area [2] • Total 1,906.5 km2 (736.1 sq mi) As of 2002 Elevation 364 m (1,194 ft) Population (2012 Census)[2] • Total 15,628 • Density 8.1972/km2 (21.231/sq mi) • Urban 8,806 • Rural 9,897 Sex [2] • Men 9,203 • Women 9,500 Time zone UTC−4 (CLT) • Summer (DST) UTC−3 (CLST) Postal code 5010000 Area code 56 + 45 Website Municipality of Cunco

**Cunco** is a [Chilean](/source/Chile) [commune](/source/Communes_of_Chile) and [city](/source/List_of_cities_in_Chile) in [Cautín Province](/source/Caut%C3%ADn_Province), [Araucanía Region](/source/Araucan%C3%ADa_Region). The town is located 60 km southeast of the city of [Temuco](/source/Temuco) and 77 km west of [Icalma International Pass](/source/Icalma_Lake).

The major geographical features of this commune are the [Allipén River](/source/Allip%C3%A9n_River) and the [Colico Lake](/source/Colico_Lake).

According to [Friar](/source/Friar) [Ernesto Wilhelm de Moesbach](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ernesto_Wilhelm_de_Moesbach&action=edit&redlink=1) Cunco is etymologically derived from the [Mapuche language](/source/Mapuche_language)'s word for "dark red" (cun) "water" (co) meaning water with volcanic ash or silt.[3]

## History

Cunco was founded by Colonel Gregorio Urrutia in 1883 as a frontier fort, between the marshes Cunco and Nahuelcura, and close to a tributary to the Allipén river. The arrival of the railroad at the beginning of the twentieth century accelerated its urban development. It changed legal status to "commune" on 20 August 1918.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

In 1918 Cunco was the ending point of the first flight by an airplane across the [Andes](/source/Andes), when [Luis Candelaria](/source/Luis_Candelaria) flew from [Zapala](/source/Zapala), Argentina, on April 13.[4]

## Demographics

‹ The [template](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Template) *[Historical populations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Historical_populations)* is being [considered for merging](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Templates_for_discussion/Log/2026_June_24#Template:Infobox_demographics). ›

Historical population Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1895 2,808 — 1907 11,691 +12.62% 1920 12,915 +0.77% 1930 18,269 +3.53% 1940 23,043 +2.35% 1952 21,636 −0.52% 1970 16,119 −1.62% 1982 16,834 +0.36% 1992 18,339 +0.86% 2002 18,703 +0.20% 2017 17,526 −0.43% 2024 19,177 +1.29% Source: "Censo de Población y Vivienda". National Statistics Institute.

According to the 2002 [census](/source/Census) of the [National Statistics Institute](/source/National_Statistics_Institute_(Chile)), Cunco spans an area of 1,906.5 km2 (736 sq mi) and has 18,703 inhabitants (9,203 men and 9,500 women). Of these, 8,806 (47.1%) lived in [urban areas](/source/Urban_area) and 9,897 (52.9%) in [rural areas](/source/Rural_area). The population grew by 2% (364 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2]

## Administration

As a [commune](/source/Communes_of_Chile), Cunco is a third-level [administrative division of Chile](/source/Administrative_division_of_Chile) administered by a communal council, headed by an [alcalde](/source/Alcalde) who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Patricio Mittersteiner Garrido. The communal council has the following members:[1]

- Osvaldo Inostroza Mora

- Danilo Urrutia Cárcamo

- Rene Sepulveda Ceballos

- Patricio Oakley Oviedo

- Cristian Moraga Lagos

- Alfonso Coke Candia

Within the [electoral divisions of Chile](/source/Electoral_divisions_of_Chile), Zapallar belongs to the 52nd electoral district and 15th senatorial constituency.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Official_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Official_1-1) ["Municipality of Cunco"](http://www.municunco.cl) (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 August 2010.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-INE_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-INE_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-INE_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-INE_2-3) ["National Statistics Institute"](http://www.ine.cl/canales/chile_estadistico/censos_poblacion_vivienda/censo_pobl_vivi.php) (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** de Moesbach, Ernesto Wilhelm (2016) [1944]. *Voz de Arauco* (in Spanish). Santiago: Ceibo. p. 56. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-956-359-051-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-956-359-051-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Luis Casabal (13 April 1998). ["A 80 años del primer cruce aéreo de los Andes"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170308223402/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/93428-a-80-anos-del-primer-cruce-aereo-de-los-andes) (in Spanish). Diario La Nación. Archived from [the original](http://www.lanacion.com.ar/93428-a-80-anos-del-primer-cruce-aereo-de-los-andes) on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2015.

## External links

- (in Spanish) [Gobierno Regional de la Araucanía: Cunco](https://web.archive.org/web/20080620201450/http://www.laaraucania.cl/turismo-com_cunco.htm)

- (in Spanish) [Munipalidad de Cunco](http://www.municunco.cl)

- (in Spanish) [Porta Cunco](https://web.archive.org/web/20110710032307/http://portalcunco.comlu.com/) (Independent Website)

v t e < Communes and municipalities in Araucanía Region > Cautín Carahue Cholchol Cunco Curarrehue Freire Galvarino Gorbea Lautaro Loncoche Melipeuco Nueva Imperial Padre Las Casas Perquenco Pitrufquén Pucón Saavedra Temuco Teodoro Schmidt Toltén Vilcún Villarrica Malleco Angol Collipulli Curacautín Ercilla Lonquimay Los Sauces Lumaco Purén Renaico Traiguén Victoria

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cunco, Chile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunco%2C_Chile) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunco%2C_Chile?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.