Galvarino is a Chilean town and commune, part of Cautín Province, in the Araucanía Region. The town, named for the Mapuche warrior Galvarino, was founded on April 22, 1882 within the frame of the occupation of Araucanía by general Gregorio Urrutia, next to river Quillem as a fort of 2500 sqm. Its population come eminently from original Mapuche indigenous people. The area was colonized fundamentally by Swiss colonizers. The main economic activity is forestal activity, shown as great amount of the territory dedicated to production of forestal trees, like eucalyptus and pines.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Galvarino spans an area of 568.2 sqkm and has 12,596 inhabitants (6,500 men and 6,096 women). Of these, 3,539 (28.1%) lived in urban areas and 9,057 (71.9%) in rural areas. The population fell by 10.5% (1480 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Galvarino 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 2016-2020 alcalde is Marcos Hernandez Rojas (PDC). Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Galvarino is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Diego Paulsen (RN) and Fuad Chahín (PDC) as part of the 49th electoral district, together with Victoria, Curacautín, Lonquimay, Melipeuco, Vilcún, Lautaro and Perquenco. The commune is represented in the Senate by Alberto Espina Otero (RN) and Jaime Quintana Leal (PPD) as part of the 14th senatorial constituency (Araucanía-North).