Country Chile Time zone CLT (UTC-4) Website Government of Aisén Capital Puerto Aysén | Region Aisén Area code(s) country 56 + area 67 Area 46,589 km² | |
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Communes Puerto Aisén
Cisnes
Guaitecas Points of interest San Rafael Lake, Northern Patagonian Ice Field, San Rafael Glacier, Mount Hudson, Guaitecas Archipelago Destinations San Rafael Lake, Puerto Chacabuco, Laguna San Rafael National, Puerto Aysén, Puerto Cisnes | ||
Aisén Province (Spanish: Provincia de Aisén /aɪsɛn/ EYE-ssen) is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Aisen (XI). Its capital is Puerto Aisén.
Contents
- Map of AysC3A9n Province XI RegiC3B3n Chile
- Demographics
- Administration
- Communes
- Origin of name
- References
Map of Ays%C3%A9n Province, XI Regi%C3%B3n, Chile
Demographics
The province had a 2002 population of 23,498 according to the census by the National Statistics Institute. Of these, 16,180 (68.9%) lived in urban areas and 13,451 (57.2%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 20.7% ( persons). The census also yielded a surface area of 46,588.8 km2 (17,988 sq mi), the largest in the region and fifth largest province in the country, though it is the tenth least populated in the country.
Administration
As a province, Palena is a second-level administrative division, administered by a presidentially appointed governor. Felisa Ojeda Vargas was appointed by president Sebastián Piñera.
Communes
The province comprises three communes, each governed by a municipality, headed by an alcalde: Aisén, Cisnes, and Guaitecas.
Origin of name
The name Aisén is from the English sailor expression for the icy "end of the world". Many of the region's people are of British and German descent, although the majority of inhabitants are Chileans of mestizo Spanish origins. The province was recently developed in the early 20th century by Chilean government officials to place thousands of transplanted settlers from the Central Valley.