Santiago (commune)

At the time of its founding in 1541, the territory corresponding to the city of Santiago was completely contained in what is now known as the commune of Santiago, so it is common to affirm that the founding date of the commune of Santiago is the same as that of the city, although the term "commune" began to be used many years later when the city far exceeded its original limits. Thus, the commune of Santiago shares its history with the first decades of the city of the same name, encompassing the oldest part of the city — that enclosed by old rail lines — including downtown, and houses all major government infrastructure, including the government palace La Moneda. ==Administration==

As a commune, Santiago is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by a mayor who is directly elected every four years. For the 2024-2028 term, the mayor is Mario Desbordes Jiménez (Ind.), and the communal council has the following members: • Luis Mackenna Irarrázaval (UDI) • Vicente Martínez Álvarez (REP) • Carolina Prieto Núñez (REP) • Dafne Concha Ferrando (PC) • Camila Davagnino Reyes (PC) • Ana Yáñez Varas (FA) • Juan Mena Echeverría (RN) • Santiago Mekis Arnolds (RN) • María José Ramírez Calquin (RN) • Claudia Ramírez Martínez (PAVP) Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Santiago is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by José Antonio Kast Adriasola (REP), Hans Marowski (PNL), Jorge Alessandri Vergara (UDI), Francisco Orrego (RN), Gonzalo Winter (FA), Lorena Fries (FA), Irací Hassler (PC), and Emilia Schneider (FA) as part of the 10th electoral district. The commune is represented in the Senate by Fabiola Campillai Rojas (Ind.), Claudia Pascual (PC), Luciano Cruz Coke (Ind.), Manuel José Ossandon (RN) and Rojo Edwards (Ind.) as part of the 7th senatorial constituency (Santiago Metropolitan Region). ==Demographics==

As of the 2024 census, the commune has a population of 438,856, of which 50.9% are male and 49.1% are female. People under 15 years old make up 12.7% of the population, and people over 65 years old make up 8.1%. 100% of the population is urban. Immigration As of the 2024 census, immigrants make up 40.3% of the population - 37.7% are from South America, 1.5% from North America, 0.3% from Europe, 0.8% from Asia, 0.03% from Africa, and 0.01% from Oceania. ==References==