| Official Name: | Mulchén |
| Settlement Type: | City and Commune |
| Flag Alt: | Flag |
| Shield Alt: | Coat of arms |
| Map Alt: | Map of the Mulchén commune in the Bío Bío Region |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile |
| Pushpin Map Narrow: | yes |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location in Chile |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Chile |
| Coordinates: | -37.7167°N -72.2333°W |
| Coor Pinpoint: | city |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Chile |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Bío Bío |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Bío Bío |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] [2] |
| Government Type: | Municipality |
| Leader Title: | Alcalde |
| Leader Party: | UDI |
| Leader Name: | Nicolas Benjamin Cuevas Cuevas |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | November 30, 1875 |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1925.3 |
| Population Total: | 27557 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 Census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Mulchenino |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Urban |
| Population Blank1: | 21819 |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Rural |
| Population Blank2: | 7184 |
| Demographics Type1: | Sex |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Men |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 14,513 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Women |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 14,490 |
| Elevation M: | 116 |
| Timezone: | CLT |
| Utc Offset: | −4 |
| Timezone Dst: | CLST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −3 |
| Postal Code: | 4530000 |
| Area Code: | 56 + 43 |
| Website: | Official website |
Mulchén is a city and commune in Bío Bío Province of Bío Bío Region, Chile. It was first settled in 1871 by soldiers during the so-called Pacification of Araucania. In 1875 Mulchén was officially founded.
The city is surrounded by a meander of the Bureo River on all sides except the south, where it is bounded by the Mulchén River. It is located 32 km south of the city of Los Ángeles, close to Chile Highway 5.
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Mulchén spans an area of 1925.3sqkm and has 29,003 inhabitants (14,513 men and 14,490 women). Of these, 21,819 (75.2%) lived in urban areas and 7,184 (24.8%) in rural areas. The population fell by 3.1% (931 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[3]
As a commune, Mulchén 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 2008-2012 alcalde is Francisco Jara Delgado (UDI).[1] [2]
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Mulchén is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Juan Lobos (UDI) and José Pérez (PRSD) as part of the 47th electoral district, together with Los Ángeles, Tucapel, Antuco, Quilleco, Santa Bárbara, Quilaco, Negrete, Nacimiento, San Rosendo, Laja and Alto Bío Bío. The commune is represented in the Senate by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz-Esquide Jara (PDC) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).