| Lake Villarrica | |
|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 39°15′S72°05′W / 39.250°S 72.083°W Coordinates: 39°15′S72°05′W / 39.250°S 72.083°W |
| Primary inflows | Trancura River |
| Primary outflows | Toltén River |
| Basin countries | Chile |
| Surface area | 173 km2 (67 sq mi) [1] |
| Surface elevation | 230 m (750 ft) [1] |
| Settlements | Villarrica, Pucón |
| References | [1] |
Lake Villarrica, also known as Mallalafquén [1] (its pre-Hispanic name in Mapudungun), is located about 700 kilometers south of Santiago in Chile’s Lake District in the southeast area of the Province of Cautín. On its east shore lies the city of Pucón, a major tourist attraction and a popular ski resort, and on the west shore lies the town of Villarrica.
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a South American country occupying a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south. Chilean territory includes the Pacific islands of Juan Fernández, Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas, and Easter Island in Oceania. Chile also claims about 1,250,000 square kilometres (480,000 sq mi) of Antarctica, although all claims are suspended under the Antarctic Treaty.
Cautín Province is one of two provinces in the southern Chilean region of La Araucanía (IX), bounded on the north by Arauco and Malleco provinces, on the east by Argentina, on the south by Valdivia Province, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its population at the 2012 census was of 692,582. The most important communes are Temuco, Villarrica, Padre Las Casas, and Nueva Imperial. Cattle, forestry, and agriculture make up most of Cautin's economy. Its climate is humid, rainy in winter, and generally warm in summer.
Pucón is a Chilean city and commune administered by the municipality of Pucón. It is located in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region, 100 km to the southeast of Temuco and 780 km to the south of Santiago. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Villarrica, and Villarrica volcano is located roughly 17 km to the south.
Water sports such as sailing, kayaking, sport fishing and water skiing are popular in the summer due to the lake's warm waters (surface temperatures range from 19 to 22 °C). In winter, the average water temperature is around 10 °C.
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the water, on ice (iceboat) or on land over a chosen course, which is often part of a larger plan of navigation.
A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word qajaq.
Water skiing is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires sufficient area on a smooth stretch of water, one or two skis, a tow boat with tow rope, three people, and a personal flotation device. In addition, the skier must have adequate upper and lower body strength, muscular endurance, and good balance.
The Villarrica Volcano, one of the ten most active in the world, is situated to the south of the lake. There are two Chile National Parks close by: the Huerquehue and the Villarrica. The latter is famous for its natural hot springs.
Villarrica is one of Chile's most active volcanoes, rising above the lake and town of the same name, 750 km (470 mi) south of Santiago. It is also known as Rucapillán, a Mapuche word meaning "devil's house". It is the westernmost of three large stratovolcanoes that trend NW-SW obliquely perpendicular to the Andean chain along the Mocha-Villarrica Fault Zone, along with Quetrupillán and the Chilean portion of Lanín, are protected within Villarrica National Park. Guided ascents are popular during summer months.
Huerquehue National Park is located in the foothills of the Andes, in the Valdivian temperate rainforest of the La Araucanía region in southern Chile. It lies 145 km southeast of Temuco and 33 km east of Pucón, between the Villarrica National Reserve to the west and the Hualalafquén National Reserve to the east. The park encompasses 125 square kilometres of mountainous terrain east of Caburgua Lake, and has an elevation range of 720 to 2,000 m asl.
Villarrica National Park is located in the Andes, in the La Araucanía and Los Ríos regions of Chile, near Pucón. The centerpiece of the park is a line of three volcanoes stretching transversely to the Andean range: Villarrica, Quetrupillán, and Lanín. Other mountains in the park include Quinquilil volcano, also known as Colmillo del Diablo, and Cerro Las Peinetas, which lies on the border between Argentina and Chile. It ranges in elevation from 600 m (1,969 ft) to 3,776 m (12,388 ft) at Lanín Volcano.
