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29-583: 37°44′S 72°42′W  /  37.733°S 72.700°W  / -37.733; -72.700 This La Araucanía Region location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Chile is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . La Araucan%C3%ADa Region The Araucanía ( / ˌ ær ɔː ˈ k eɪ n i ə / ARR -aw- KAY -nee-ə ), La Araucanía Region ( Spanish : Región de La Araucanía pronounced [aɾawkaˈni.a] )

58-546: A broad Andean valley and merging with some minor tributaries, such as the Lonquimay and the Rahue. The Lonquimay is fed by some glaciers of Sierra Nevada and passes close to the town of the same name . Just downstream from the confluence with the Rahue, the upper course of the river-locally known as Alto Bío Bío -begins to run rapidly through a narrow valley surrounded by mountains, the path becoming increasingly sloped. Then

87-457: A largely ethnic Italian community. Villarrica was where several thousand Afrikaners (or Dutch South Africans) settled after their expulsion from South Africa , following the Boer War (1899–1903). These towns also were influenced by early Dutch colonists in the 16th century, when the region was nicknamed New Flanders . The Netherlands later ceded it to Spanish colonial rule. During

116-687: A part of Chile ever since 1885. Following independence, the Chilean government opted for peaceful relations with the Mapuche. Effective territorial occupation did not begin until 1862. During this time, the government allowed settlers to found new towns and constructed the railroad , telegraph , and roads into the area. After an occupation and sustained military action, Araucanía was fully incorporated into Chile in 1882. Many cities and towns in Araucanía were first developed as army outposts during and after

145-515: Is one of Chile 's 16 first-order administrative divisions , and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south. Its capital and largest city is Temuco ; other important cities include Angol and Villarrica . Chile did not incorporate the lands of the Araucanía Region until the 1880s, when it occupied the area to end resistance by the indigenous Mapuche by both military and political means. This opened up

174-563: Is still the main crop, but production of oats, grapes, and lupines has increased significantly, and fruit and flower growing are also emerging. The main tourism centre in the region is the Villarrica Lake and Pucón. The region consists of 38 municipalities: Biob%C3%ADo River The Biobío River (also known as Bío Bío or Bio-Bio ) is the second largest river in Chile . It originates from Icalma and Galletué lakes in

203-522: Is the heartland of the indigenous Mapuche people , who resisted both Incan and Spanish attempts at conquest. After sending many forces against the Mapuche, the Spanish would cut their losses, establishing the southern border of their colony at the northern banks of the Biobío River . Following the occupation of Araucanía by the Chilean government, which subdued the people, the territory has been

232-467: Is white or castizo (another form of mestizo (50%) of partial European-Amerindian descent), and a large proportion of them is at least partially descended from Spanish colonists. In 1903, a fleet of 88 Canarian families—400 persons—arrived in Budi Lake (and currently have more than 1,000 modern descendants) as a response to the government's call to populate the region, and signed contracts for

261-901: The Andes and flows 380 km to the Gulf of Arauco (in Spanish) on the Pacific Ocean . The major tributaries of the river are the Malleco and the Laja . The river is Chile's second-longest river (the longest being the Loa River ) and the Biobío basin is Chile's third largest watershed , after the Loa and Baker basins. The river is also the widest river in Chile, with an average width of 1 km. In

290-464: The Andes . The current population is descended mostly from internal migration from the Central Zone of Chile; to a lesser extent, it consists of descendants of European settlers who arrived during and after the "pacification of Araucanía". The region has the highest proportion of indigenous residents of any in Chile, around 25%, of which the majority is Mapuche people. About 25% of the population

319-517: The Metropolitan area of Concepción , the river is crossed by four bridges: Biobío Railroad Bridge (1889), Juan Pablo II Bridge (1973), Llacolén Bridge (2000) and Bicentennial Bridge (2010). The Biobío River originates at the east shore of Galletué Lake . The river flows east for a few kilometers to the point where it receives the waters of the near Icalma Lake , through a short stream. It then turns its course northwestward, meandering through

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348-946: The Tavolevo River , flowing east from the Nahuelbuta Range , the Guaqui River coming from the east in the Andes foothills, and the small Rele River coming from the west from the northern part of the eastern slopes of the Nahuelbuta Range. To the east of the Chilean Coastal Range , near the cities of San Rosendo and La Laja , the Biobío River is joined by the Laja River , its major tributary in terms of volume of water. From here,

377-411: The 2002 census, the most- populated cities are: Temuco (260,783, includes Padre Las Casas ), Villarrica (45,531), Angol (43,801), Victoria (23,977), Lautaro (18,808), New Imperial (14,980), Collipulli (14,240), Loncoche (14,191), and Traiguén (14,140). Until recently, Araucanía was dependent on cereal farming and was known as Chile’s granary. Agriculture has become highly diversified; wheat

406-455: The Consejo de Todas Las Tierras, have sought and enjoyed international support from nongovernmental and their indigenous organizations. Spanish settlers first arrived in Araucanía (one of two regional names) in the 1550s, but were unable to subdue the indigenous Mapuche. In the late 19th century, the Chilean government endorsed a large-scale immigration and settlement program for the area. At

435-462: The Mapuche population, thus adding to the large mestizo population that exists in Chile. Smaller numbers of Arab (largely Syrian , Lebanese and Palestinian ), Chinese , Japanese , Korean and people of Euro-North American and Australian descent settled in La Araucania in the early 20th century. Temuco has a thriving Chinese, Taiwanese , and Syrian presence, and Capitán Pastene has

464-404: The area for Chilean and European immigration and settlement. In the 1900–1930 period, the population of Araucanía grew considerably, as did the economy despite recessions striking the rest of Chile. Araucanía became one of the principal agricultural districts of Chile, gaining the nickname of " granary of Chile". The administrative Araucanía Region was established in 1974, in what was the core of

493-501: The benefit of a private company. While many Canarians obeyed their servitude, some of those who disobeyed the provisions of repopulation tried to escape their agreements and were arrested, or the indigenous Mapuche people took pity on the plight of these individuals who were on their former lands. The Mapuche welcomed some of them, and joined their demonstrations, in the so-called "revolt of the Canarians"; many Canarians integrated into

522-597: The island was navigated, upstream and downstream, in colonial times . In 1610, during the Arauco War , Mapuches attacked the Spanish in the island killing 13 soldiers. The name "Biobío" comes from Mapudungun , the Mapuche language. The Biobío was the traditional borderline, or " La Frontera ", during the later part of the War of Arauco between La Araucanía , the southern Mapuche self-ruled areas and northern Spanish-ruled Captaincy General of Chile . The territory south of

551-399: The large agricultural estates ( estancias ) that were established in Araucanía were cultivated in wheat, led to its being called the "Granary of Chile". With naturally fertile soil and the implementation of modern technology such as tractors, wheat harvests were extraordinarily high, but because the farmers did not perform crop rotation , and indiscriminate logging and burning of woodlands

580-554: The larger historic region of Araucanía . In the 21st century, Araucanía is Chile's poorest region in terms of GDP per capita . About a third of the region's population is ethnic Mapuche, the highest proportion of any Chilean region. The Araucanía Region has been the main location of the confrontations of the ongoing Mapuche conflict , as the Mapuche have pressed their land claims against the central government. Virgin forests, featuring coigüe , raulí and tepa trees, as well as bay , Chilean laurel and cypress , criss-cross

609-599: The middle course, the Vergara River joins the Biobío near Nacimiento , draining a substantial part of southern river basin after receiving the waters of the Malleco , Renaico and Rahue Rivers , which constitute a northwest-oriented and parallel drainage network to the Biobío of a great part of the northern Andean portion of the Araucanía Region . Below the Vergara River, the Biobío is joined by

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638-482: The occupation of Araucanía. The last portions of the region to be reached by the army were Alto Biobío and Toltén River 's lowlands. These are the regions where Mapuche communities have thrived the best since the Chilean conquest. With the construction of the Malleco Viaduct in the 1890s, the region became more accessible. Settlements in southern Chile became more consolidated. Until the mid-20th century,

667-503: The past three decades, the city of Temuco has had the fastest rate of growth in Chile. According to the census of 1970, about 88,000 inhabitants lived in Temuco. In the census of 2000, 30 years later, the population had tripled to 250,000. The resort-town of Villarrica, on Lake Villarrica , has expanded rapidly. It is located next to the fast-growing resort of Pucón , now one of the four largest tourist destinations in Chile. According to

696-621: The region in all directions. The majestic conifer Araucaria araucana , or monkey-puzzle tree (known locally as pehuén ), towers above the landscape. Its fruit, the piñón (a type of massive pine nut , often growing to the size and weight of a basketball or a bowling ball ) is still a staple food for the indigenous Pehuenches and local residents. A large part of this natural wealth is protected in various national parks ( Nahuelbuta , Tolhuaca , Conguillío , Villarrica , and Huerquehue National Parks ) and national reserves ( Malalcahuello , Las Nalcas , and Alto Biobío ). The Araucanía region

725-496: The river follows its course increasing its width considerably, reaching 2 km wide at its mouth on Pacific Ocean , near San Pedro de la Paz , Gran Concepción . Along the way, the Quilacoya River joins the Biobío River on its north bank 9 km above the town of Hualqui . Diego Díaz Island ( Spanish : Isla Diego Díaz ) is a river island in Biobío River located near Colonia Santa Fe . The river next to

754-438: The river was not incorporated into the Chilean state until the 1880s after the campaigns of the " Pacification of Araucanía ". In the past, the river was navigable by ship up to the city of Nacimiento. However, deforestation during the 1900s led to heavy erosion that choked the river with silt and made it untraversable to boats. In the early 1980s, it was renowned as being one of the world's best whitewater rafting venues, with

783-589: The river, along the lower course of its tributaries in this area, is impounded by Ralco Dam . Below the dam, the river skirts a southwestern spur of Callaqui volcano before falling into Pangue Reservoir . After reaching the Intermediate Depression , the river flows through a mostly flat area, being joined by the Duqueco and Bureo Rivers , increasing its width between 60 and 120 meters and reducing its speed, allowing navigation in some zones. In

812-580: The time, Chile often endorsed land allotment advertisement to Europeans, notably in Germany , Austria , and Switzerland , from where most of the new arrivals came. Beginning in the mid-19th century, with the German Revolutions , immigrants were often fleeing political upheaval and poor economies, seeking a new place to live. Other immigrants included Basques , from the northern Spanish border with southwest France, and some Argentines from across

841-608: Was permitted, soils were prone to extensive erosion . They lost their fertility and much topsoil was lost to erosion. Beginning in the 1930s, Villarrica Lake was developed as a tourism area. With the return of democracy in Chile in 1990, Mapuche organizations renewed their land claims on certain territories. Rising violence has accompanied what is now called the Mapuche conflict . Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco and similar activist groups have sometimes used arson attacks and death threats to back up their claims; other organizations, such as

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