# Los Lagos Region

Los Lagos Region (Spanish: Región de Los Lagos pronounced, lit. 'Region of the Lakes') is one of Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second-largest island, Chiloé, and the second-largest lake, Llanquihue. Its capital is Puerto Montt; other important cities include Osorno, Castro, Ancud, and Puerto Varas. Los Lagos Region is considered part of Patagonia.
Historically, the Huilliche have called this territory between Bueno River and Reloncaví Sound Futahuillimapu, meaning "great land of the south". The region hosts Monte Verde, one of the oldest archaeological sites of the Americas. The largest indigenous group of the region are the Huilliche who lived in the area before the arrival of the Spanish. The Spanish crown settled Chiloé Archipelago in 1567 while the rest of the region begun to be slowly colonized by non-indigenous people only in the late 18th century. In the 1850s Germans arrived to colonize the shores of Llanquihue Lake under a Chilean state-sponsored program.
Los Lagos Region economy is dominated by the service sector but based in fishing, salmon aquaculture, forestry and cattle farming. Tourism is economically important in The Andes where ski resorts, hot springs and recreational fishing are popular offers.

## Geography

The region is bordered on the north by Los Ríos Region, on the south by Aisén Region, on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by Argentina (provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut). Wild environments can be seen along the coastal area, such as Caleta Zorra.

### Demography

The region has an area of 48,585 km$^2$ (18,759 sq mi) and its population, according to the 2017 INE Census was 823,204, with a population density of 16.9 /km².

### Principal towns

The Región de Los Lagos has seventeen towns according to the 2017 census, of which eleven have more than 10000 inhabitants each.
| No. | Town | Population | Province |
| 1. | Puerto Montt | 169 736 | Llanquihue |
| 2. | Osorno | 147 666 | Osorno |
| 3. | Alerce | 42 267 | Llanquihue |
| 4. | Castro | 33 417 | Chiloé |
| 5. | Ancud | 28 162 | Chiloé |
| 6. | Puerto Varas | 26 172 | Llanquihue |
| 7. | Quellón | 17 552 | Chiloé |
| 8. | Calbuco | 15 903 | Llanquihue |
| 9. | Llanquihue | 12 945 | Llanquihue |
| 10. | Frutillar | 12 876 | Llanquihue |
| 11. | Purranque | 12 614 | Osorno |
| 12. | Los Muermos | 7928 | Llanquihue |
| 13. | Fresia | 7328 | Llanquihue |
| 14. | Dalcahue | 7120 | Chiloé |
| 15. | Río Negro | 6978 | Osorno |
| 16. | Chonchi | 5632 | Chiloé |
| 17. | Chaitén | 1639 | Palena |

### Climate

The region, in general, has a natural vegetation of Valdivian temperate rain forest. The coastal part, except for the south of the Chiloé Island, has a temperate climate with cold winter rain. To the south, the climate is characterized by constant rain and not having dry seasons.

### Protected areas

Protected areas include 7 national parks, 2 private-owned parks and 2 natural monuments.

#### National Parks

* Alerce Andino
* Chiloé
* Corcovado
* Hornopirén
* Pumalín
* Puyehue
* Vicente Pérez Rosales

#### Private parks

* Tantauco Park
* Las Vertientes – Reserva Natural Privada

#### Natural monuments

* Islotes de Puñihuil
* Lahuen Ñadi

## Economy

The region is the center of aquaculture in Chile.

## Transportation

El Tepual Airport lies a few miles west of Puerto Montt and Cañal Bajo Carlos Hott Siebert Airport a few miles east of Osorno. Also east of Osorno, the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass is a major mountain pass across the Andes to Argentina via Route 215.