Cordillera Pelada ( Spanish for Bald Range or Barren Range) is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in southern Los Ríos Region, southern Chile. It is located along the Pacific coast and forms part of the larger

Chilean Coast Range The Chilean Coastal Range ( es, Cordillera de la Costa) is a mountain range that runs from north to south along the Pacific coast of South America parallel to the Andean Mountains, extending from Morro de Arica in the north to Taitao Peninsula, ...

. It got its name ''pelada'' from the Spanish word for bare or bald in reference to large fires that once burned the forests on the cordillera. From about 1750 to 1943, when the land between

Maullín River Maullín River( es, Río Maullín) is a river of Chile located in the Los Lagos Region. The river originates as the outflow of Llanquihue Lake, and flows generally southwestward, over a number of small waterfalls, emptying into the Gulf of Coronad ...

and

Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...

was colonized by Spain and Chile, numerous fires of ''

Fitzroya ''Fitzroya'' is a monotypic genus in the cypress family. The single living species, ''Fitzroya cupressoides'', is a tall, long-lived conifer native to the Andes mountains and coastal of southern Chile, and only to the Andes mountains Argentina, ...

'' woods occurred in Cordillera Pelada. These fires were initiated by Spaniards, Chileans and Europeans. Earlier, from 1397 to 1750 the ''Fitzroya'' woods of Cordillera Pelada also suffered from fires that originated from lightning strikes and indigenous inhabitants.

References

Mountain ranges of Chile Landforms of Los Ríos Region Landforms of Los Lagos Region Chilean Coast Range {{LosRíos-geo-stub

See also

References