Araucanía Region in the context of Villarrica, Chile

Patagonia (Spanish pronunciation: [pataˈɣonja]) is a geographical region in southern South America that spans parts of Argentina and Chile. It includes the southern portion of the Andes mountain range, featuring lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers in the west, and deserts, tablelands, and steppes toward the east. The region is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and several waterways that connect them, including the Strait of Magellan, the Beagle Channel, and the Drake Passage to the south.

The northern limit of the region is not precisely defined; the Colorado and Barrancas rivers, which run from the Andes to the Atlantic, are commonly considered the northern limit of Argentine Patagonia; on this basis the extent of Patagonia could be defined as the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz, together with Patagones Partido in the far south of Buenos Aires Province. The archipelago of Tierra del Fuego is sometimes considered part of Patagonia. Most geographers and historians locate the northern limit of Chilean Patagonia at Huincul Fault, in Araucanía Region.

Southern Chile is an informal geographic term for any place south of the capital city, Santiago, or south of Biobío River, the mouth of which is Concepción, about 300 kilometres (200 mi) south of Santiago. Generally cities like Temuco are considered to be located in the south despite being relatively close to the geographical center of Chile. This is mainly because mainland Chile ended in La Frontera until the occupation of Araucanía (1861–1883). Similarly, the Southern Chile wine region is close to the geographic center of the country, encompassing wine-growing areas in the Bío Bío Region and Araucanía Region.

Southern Chile may also refer to the Zona Sur region between Biobío and Chacao Channel, which is often also called the Chilean Lake District. It may also refer to the Zona Austral, also called the Extreme South.

Malleco Province (Spanish: Provincia de Malleco) is one of two provinces in the southern Chilean region of La Araucanía (IX). Its population as of the 2017 census is 205,124, and it covers an area of 13,433.3 km (5,187 sq mi). The provincial capital is the city of Angol.

Malleco Province is known for having the emblematic Malleco Viaduct and the Las Raíces Tunnel, Chile's longest tunnel, which links the eastern part to the rest of the province.

Temuco (Spanish pronunciation: [teˈmuko]) is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located 670 kilometres (416 miles) south of Santiago. The city grew out from a fort of the same name established in 1881 during Chile's invasion of Araucanía. Temuco lies in the middle of the historic Araucanía, a traditional land of the indigenous Mapuche.

Temuco's central place in Araucanía with easy access to the Andean valleys, lakes and coastal areas makes it a hub for tourism, agricultural, livestock and forestry operations as well as a communication and trade centre for the numerous small towns of Araucanía. Temuco has recently been regarded as a university city as it houses two large universities: University of the Frontier and Temuco Catholic University. Nobel laureates Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda both lived in Temuco for some time.

Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the Bío-Bío River and Concepción. This strategic position explains the successive foundations of this city during the Arauco War. It was first founded in 1553 as a "conquistador" fort of Confines, the fort was later destroyed and rebuilt several times and it was not until the Pacification of Araucania in the late 19th century that it was rebuilt with the name of Angol. The city has a current population of approximately 53,000. Within the electoral divisions of Chile, it belongs to the 48th electoral district and the 14th senatorial circumscription.

Galvarino is a Chilean town and commune (Spanish: comuna), 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 2,500 m (26,910 sq ft). 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.

The culture of Chile reflects the population and the geographic isolation of the country in relation to the rest of South America. Since colonial times, the Chilean culture has been a mix of Spanish colonial elements with elements of indigenous (mostly Mapuche) culture, as well as that of other immigrant cultures, mostly German, British, French, and Italian.

The Huasos of Central Chile and their native or folk music and dance are central to Chilean folk culture. Even though the folk traditions of Central Chile are central to Chilean cultural and national identity, Chile is both geographically and culturally diverse with both the North and the South having their own folk music and dance due to different indigenous peoples and different immigrant groups settling there. Additionally, while some regions of Chile have very strong indigenous heritage, such as Araucanía Region, Easter Island, and Arica y Parinacota Region, some regions lack considerable indigenous communities and a few other regions have noteworthy non-Spanish European immigrant heritage.

The 2010 Chile earthquake and tsunami (Spanish: Terremoto del 27F) occurred off the coast of central Chile on 27 February 2010, at 03:34:12 local time (06:34:12 UTC). It had a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. It was felt strongly in six Chilean regions (from Valparaíso in the north to Araucanía in the south) that together make up about 80 percent of the country's population. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) the cities experiencing the strongest shaking—VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale (MM)—were Concepción, Arauco, and Coronel. According to Chile's Seismological Service, Concepción experienced the strongest shaking at MM IX (Violent). The earthquake was felt in the capital Santiago at MM VII (Very strong) or MM VIII. Tremors were felt in many Argentine cities, including Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, and La Rioja. Tremors were felt as far north as the city of Ica in southern Peru (approx. 2,400 km (1,500 mi) away). It is the largest earthquake to hit Chile since the 1960 Valdivia earthquake. A 2014 study contended that water pressure built up between the two plates had been the catalyst.

The earthquake triggered a tsunami which devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile and damaged the port at Talcahuano. Tsunami warnings were issued in 53 countries, and the wave caused minor damage in the San Diego area of California and in the Tōhoku region of Japan, where damage to the fisheries business was estimated at ¥6.26 billion (US$66.7 million). The earthquake also generated a blackout that affected 93 percent of the Chilean population and which went on for several days in some locations. President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" and sent military troops to take control of the most affected areas. According to official sources, 525 people lost their lives, 25 people went missing and about 9% of the population in the affected regions lost their homes.