Zona Sur

As a Small South one of the five natural areas in Chile is called. Alternative names are Chilean Switzerland or deforestation Chile. In Spanish, the term Zona Sur is in use.

Geography

Location

As all of Chile south of the Small is bounded on the east by the Andes Mountains and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its northern and southern borders are not exactly defined, often they are the Río Bío Bío in the north and the island of Chiloe in the south or the latitudes 38 ° to 42 ° or 43 ° South is specified or determined by the political boundaries of the Chilean regions. The Little South in general, the three regions de la Araucanía, de los Ríos and Los Lagos are counted. To the south is the so-called Great South includes at, in the north of the Chilean central zone.

The most important cities are the three region capitals Temuco, Valdivia and Puerto Montt.

Volcanism and tectonics

The small South is how almost all of Chile strongly marked by volcanism. The area is located above the subduction zone between the Nazca and South American plate, resulting in volcanic activity and frequent earthquakes.

The strongest earthquake ever recorded, the Great Chile Earthquake of 1960 had its epicenter here.

Climate

Climatically the small south is characterized by periodic winter rainfall and warm temperate temperatures. It is dominated by evergreen forests and meadows. The native temperate rain forest here is called Valdivian rainforest.

Traffic

1912 the rail link between Santiago and Puerto Montt was completed. Today, the rail link for passenger transport in Temuco ends. The southern cities are approached with buses.

The western part of the Pan-American Highway runs as Ruta 5 highway in north-south direction through the little south and ends in Quellón on Chiloé. From Puerto Montt, the partially unpaved Carretera Austral leads south to the Región de Aysen. From Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales Ferries run in the Deep South.

Airports exist in the region capitals Valdivia and Puerto Montt.

History

Before and during the Spanish colonial period, the area was inhabited by the Mapuche people - in the north of the Pehuenchen, in the south of the Huilliche.

The conquistador Pedro de Valdivia explored the area mid-16th century and was founded numerous cities. Between 1599 and 1604 these were destroyed by the Mapuche and abandoned by the Spaniards. Only in 1645 was re- established in one of these cities with Valdivia and heavily fortified both on land as well as the lake. In addition to the island of Chiloe it remained in the Spanish time the only European base in this area.

After Chile's independence from the little south of the middle of the 19th century became the center of European and especially German immigration.

In 1960, the area was ravaged by a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami.