The Region of los Lagos stretches out between the parallels 40° 14′ and 44° 04′ latitude south and from the meridian 71°35′ longitude west, until the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, it limits northwards with the Region of the Rios, southwards with the Region of Aisen of General Carlos Ibañez del Campo, eastwards with Argentina and westwards with the Pacific Ocean. It has a 48.583,6 km2 surface (corresponding to the 6, 43% of American and Islander Chile).
Its population reaches 716.739 inhabitants which corresponds to the 4, 7% of the total national population and its regional density is 14, 75 inhab/km2.
Puerto Montt is the capital and is divided administratively in four provinces, Osorno, LLanquihue, Chiloe and Palena. Due to the XIX century colonization processes, the population has particular traits north and southwards the Chacao Channel. The first zone, received between 1850 and 1860 the German immigration, and the southern one, the Island of Chiloe, is marked by the Spanish occupation (from the XVI until XVIII) and the blending of these with the indigenous population.
Its provinces
As before mentioned, this region is divided in four provinces. A rough characterization follows:
– Province of Llanquihue: it has a14.876,4 km2 surface and a population of 321.493 inhabitants (162.636 are men and 158.857 are women). It is compound by the comunas (counties) of Puerto Montt (its capital city), Calbuco, Cochamo, Fresia, Frutillar, Los Muermos, Llanquihue, Maullin and Puerto Varas.
The latter is the comuna (county) with the largest surface, with 4.064, 9 km2, and Llanquihue, the one with the least extension, with 420, 8 km2. Likewise, the most populated comuna (county) is Puerto Montt (175.938), whilst the one lodging the least quantity is Cochamo with only 4.363.
-Province of Chiloe: it reaches a 9.181, 6 km2 surface and 154.766 persons live in it. This province includes the comunas (counties) of Castro, (its capital city), Ancud, Chonchi, Curaco de Velez, Dalcahue, Puqueldon, Queilen, Quellon, Quemchi, and Quinchao. Quellon is the one with the largest surface (3.244 km2) and the one with the least surface and inhabitants (3.244 km2) is Curaco de Velez (with 80 km2 and 3.403 persons).Likewise, the one with more inhabitants is Ancud (39.946).
-Province of Osorno: located at the region’s northern extreme, it stretches for a 9.223,7 km2 surface with 221.509 inhabitants. It has seven comunas (counties): Osorno (its capital city), Puerto Octay, Purranque, Puyehue, rio Negro, San Juan de la Costa and San Pablo. Puerto Octay has the largest surface, 1.795 km2 and San Pablo, the least with 637, 3 km2. The most populated comuna (county) is Osorno with 145.475 inhabitants; whilst the one sheltering the smallest amount of people is San Juan de la Costa with only 8.831 inhabitants.
– Province of Palena: it has a 15.301,9 km2 surface and a population of 18.971 inhabitants. It is formed by the following comunas (counties): Chaitén (its capital city), Futaleufu, Hualaihue and Palena. Chaiten is the one with the largest surface (8.470, 5 km2).Hualaihue has the greatest amount of inhabitants (8.273), whilst the one lodging the minor amount of people is Palena with only 1.690.