Los Lagos Region

This article is about the region in Chile. For the city and municipality, see Los Lagos, Chile. For the region outlined in tourism literature, see Chilean Lake District.

Los Lagos Region
Región de Los Lagos
Region of Chile
Corcovado National Park
Corcovado National Park
Flag of Los Lagos Region
Flag
Official seal of Los Lagos Region
Seal
Coat of Arms of Los Lagos Region
Coat of arms
Map of Los Lagos Region
Map of Los Lagos Region
Coordinates: 41°28′18″S 72°56′12″W / 41.47167°S 72.93667°W / -41.47167; -72.93667
Country Chile
CapitalPuerto Montt
ProvincesOsorno, Llanquihue, Chiloé, Palena
Government
 • IntendantHarry Jürgensen Caesar (RN)
Area
[1]
 • Total
48,583.6 km2 (18,758.2 sq mi)
 • Rank5
Highest elevation
2,450 m (8,040 ft)
Lowest elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (2024 census)[2]
 • Total
890,284
 • Rank7
 • Density18.3248/km2 (47.4610/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)
[3]
 • Total$11.131 billion (2014)
 • Per capita$12,335 (2014)
ISO 3166 codeCL-LL
HDI (2022)0.803[4]
high
WebsiteOfficial website (in Spanish)

Los Lagos Region (Spanish: Región de Los Lagos pronounced [los ˈlaɣos], 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[5] 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.

History

The territory between Valdivia and Puerto Montt was already described in CORFO’s Geografía Económica de Chile (1950) as one of six regions defined according to geographic, demographic, and economic criteria. These regions were used solely for planning purposes and for the organization of ODEPLAN, and were later formalized by Decree No. 1104 of 1969.

The regionalization process promoted by the military dictatorship created the “X Region” in 1974, comprising the former provinces of Valdivia, Osorno, Llanquihue, and Chiloé.[6]

As regionalization was implemented gradually, the administrative regime of the new region only began operating on January 1, 1976, when Air Force Brigadier General Juan Soler Manfredini—until then intendant of the former province of Llanquihue—assumed office as the first regional intendant.[7][8]

In 1978, it received the official name “X Región de Los Lagos,”[9] and in 1979 the province of Palena was created, made up of Chaitén, Futaleufú, Palena, and the Desertores Islands which until then had belonged to the province of Chiloé, as well as the newly created commune of Hualaihué, whose territory had previously been part of the province of Llanquihue.[10][11]

The most significant change, however, occurred on October 2, 2007, with the separation of the province of Valdivia, which became the Region of Los Ríos.[12]

In 2018, the numerical designation of the regions was abolished, and since then its official name has been “Región de Los Lagos”.[13]

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.[citation needed]

Demography

The region has an area of 48,585 km2 (18,759 sq mi) and its population, according to the 2024 INE Census was 890,284, with a population density of 18.32/km².

Principal towns

No. Town Population Province
1. Puerto Montt 277,040 Llanquihue
2. Osorno 166,455 Osorno
3. Puerto Varas 52,942 Llanquihue
4. Castro 46,997 Chiloé
5. Ancud 40,949 Chiloé
6. Calbuco 36,474 Llanquihue
7. Quellón 28,460 Chiloé
8. Frutillar 22,554 Llanquihue
9. Purranque 19,542 Osorno
10. Llanquihue 18,088 Llanquihue
11. Los Muermos 17,162 Llanquihue
12. Chonchi 16,078 Chiloé
13. Maullín 15,063 Llanquihue
14. Dalcahue 14,894 Chiloé
15. Río Negro 13,874 Osorno
16. Fresia 12,320 Llanquihue
17. Puyehue 11,712 Osorno
18. San Pablo 10,883 Osorno

Climate

Köppen climate types in Los Lagos Region

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
Private parks
Natural monuments

Economy

Salmon farming center in the Hornopirén Channel, Hualaihué.

The regional economy is concentrated in agricultural and livestock activities, forestry, aquaculture, and tourism.

Aquaculture and fishing

The Los Lagos Region is by far Chile’s main aquaculture production area. In 2024, 958,507 tonnes of resources were harvested from aquaculture centers, equivalent to 65.4% of the national total.[3]

Salmon farming is the region’s main aquaculture activity and also its principal economic activity, accounting for 78.1% of the total value of regional exports.[14] It is developed mainly between Puerto Montt and Quellón, but is present in all provinces. The regional capital is the core of the industry, serving as the operational base for the most important producing companies. In 2019, salmon and trout exports reached US$5.135 billion, making them the country’s leading non-mineral export product that year.[15]

Mussel farming is also an important economic activity. Unlike salmon farming which has a strong presence in Aysén and Magallanes, the national mussel-farming industry is developed almost entirely within this region, mainly in Chiloé. Chile is the world’s leading exporter of this product, and in 2023 sales reached US$289.5 million.[16] In 2019, the sector achieved a production of 332,000 tonnes.[17]

Seaweed cultivation is likewise largely concentrated in the region. Pelillo (Gracilaria chilensis) being the main resource with 77.1% (9,744 tonnes) of the national total harvested there in 2024.[3]

The region also has the largest number of artisanal fishers in Chile: 11,104 in 2024, according to fisheries authority figures, representing 18.45% of the national total.[18] Likewise, 40% of Chile’s 467 fishing coves are located in the region, 189 in total, of which 93 are in Chiloé.[19]

In the 2024 annual landings of Chile’s artisanal sector, the region accounted for 9.2% (126,412 tonnes), with pelillo, luga negra (Sarcothalia crispata), and huiro—all seaweeds—being the main locally extracted resources.[20] Other species of importance to Los Lagos fishers include clams, mussels (cholga), loco (Chilean abalone), southern sardine, southern hake, oysters, reineta, and sea urchin.

Agriculture and livestock

Agricultural and livestock activity in Los Lagos is among the most developed in the country

During the 2022/2023 period, the Los Lagos Region was the country’s leading potato producer, with 264,481 tonnes, representing 31% of national production, followed by La Araucanía with 253,051 tonnes (30%).[21]

Cattle production is also of great importance. In 2019, out of a national total of 3,108,089 head of cattle, 1,215,221 were in the Los Lagos Region, representing 39% of the country’s cattle stock.[22]

In 2017, beef production reached 54,493 tonnes, equivalent to 27.3% of the national total.[23]

Dairy production in the region is highly developed, especially in the province of Osorno. Among the most important processing plants are those of Nestlé (Cancura and Llanquihue), Prolesur (Osorno), and Watt’s (Osorno). In 2020, these four plants accounted for 30.5% of Chile’s total milk reception and production.[24]

Tourism

Todos los Santos Lake, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park

Tourism also plays a major role, as the region is one of the most visited in Chile. In 2022, it ranked eighth nationwide in number of visitors, with 2,415,359 overnight stays (6.3% of the national total). The most popular destinations were the Llanquihue Lake–Todos los Santos Lake area, the Chiloé Archipelago, Costa Patagonia, followed by the Osorno–Puyehue corridor and the Carretera Austral.[25]

Likewise, in 2019, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park was the most visited protected area in its category, while the Los Lagos Region ranked first nationwide in total visits to protected wilderness areas, followed by Los Flamencos National Reserve in the Antofagasta Region.[26]

The importance of tourism is reflected in the fact that in 2018 there were more than 1,100 tourism establishments in the region, generating over 17,400 jobs in accommodation and food services, equivalent to 4.1% of total regional employment.[26]

Other activities

Other notable activities include the maritime industry (shipyards and shipping companies) and forestry exploitation.

The region is also home to the Canutillar hydroelectric plant, which uses the waters of Lake Chapo east of Puerto Montt, and the Pilmaiquén plant in the commune of Puyehue.

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.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Los Lagos Region". Government of Chile Foreign Investment Committee. Retrieved 13 March 2010.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Población censada por sexo y edad en grupos quinquenales". Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Cite error: The named reference ":0" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  5. ^ Hanisch, Walter. La Isla de Chiloé. 1982. pp. 11–12.
  6. ^ Ministry of the Interior (13 July 1974). Decreto Ley 575: Regionalización del país. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  7. ^ Ministry of the Interior (4 November 1975). Decreto Ley 1.230: Divide las regiones del país en provincias que indica. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  8. ^ Desde el 1° de enero somos la Décima Región. El Llanquihue (Puerto Montt). 28 December 1975. p. 8.
  9. ^ Ministry of the Interior (10 October 1978). Decreto Ley 2339: Otorga denominación a la Región Metropolitana y a las regiones del país, en la forma que indica. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  10. ^ Ministry of the Interior (26 October 1979). Decreto Ley 2.867: Delimita las regiones y provincias del país, que indica. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  11. ^ Ministry of the Interior (26 October 1979). Decreto Ley 2.868: Divide las provincias que señala del país en las comunas que indica. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  12. ^ Ministry of the Interior (5 April 2007). Ley 20 174: Crea Región de Los Ríos y la provincia de Ranco en su territorio. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  13. ^ Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Pública (15 February 2018). Ley 21.074: Fortalecimiento de la regionalización del país. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  14. ^ "Enfoque semestral de exportaciones de salmón: Región de Los Lagos. Primer semestre, enero-junio 2025, edición N°17" (PDF). regiones.ine.cl (in Spanish). 8 September 2025. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  15. ^ "Minuta Mensual del Comercio Exterior de Chile – DICIEMBRE 2019" (PDF). Subsecretaría de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales (SUBREI) (in Spanish). 7 January 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  16. ^ "Liderazgo Exportador 2023" (PDF). Subsecretaría de Relaciones Económicas Internacionales (SUBREI) (in Spanish). July 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  17. ^ "Informe sectorial de pesca y acuicultura" (PDF). Subsecretaría de Pesca y Acuicultura (SUBPESCA) (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  18. ^ "Mujeres y hombres en el sector pesquero y acuicultor de Chile 2024" (PDF). Subsecretaría de Pesca y Acuicultura (SUBPESCA). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  19. ^ Ministry of National Defense (12 August 2019). Decreto 240: Fija nómina oficial de caletas de pescadores artesanales. Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 21 December 2025
  20. ^ "Chile, desembarque artesanal año 2024, por especie y región". Servicio Nacional de Pesca y Acuicultura (SERNAPESCA) (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Boletín de la papa" (PDF). Oficina de Estudios y Políticas Agrarias (ODEPA) (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Encuesta de ganado Bovino 2019". Oficina de Estudios y Políticas Agrarias (ODEPA) (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  23. ^ "Informativo regional: Región de Los Lagos 2021" (PDF). Biblioteca Digital Odepa (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  24. ^ "Boletín de la leche" (PDF). Oficina de Estudios y Políticas Agrarias (Odepa) (in Spanish). February 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  25. ^ "Turismo interno: Big Data". Servicio Nacional de Turismo (Sernatur) (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  26. ^ a b "Anuario de Turismo 2019" (PDF). Subsecretaría de Turismo (Subturismo) (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Region_de_Los_Lagos