Caleta Chaihuín (Chaihuín) is a coastal hamlet () and rural district in the commune of
Corral,
Los Ríos Region
The Los Ríos Region (Spanish: ''Región de Los Ríos'', , ''Region of the Rivers'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, the country's first-order administrative divisions. Its capital is Valdivia. It began to operate as a region on October 2, 20 ...
, Chile. It lies at the mouth of
Chaihuín River that flows from the
Valdivian Coast Range to the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. Silt from the river combined with the prevailing coastal current have formed a barrier-bar across the cove creating an
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
. The administration and main entrance to the
Valdivian Coastal Reserve lies in Chaihuín.
History
The indigenous inhabitants of the area are
Huilliche people
The Huilliche (), Huiliche or Huilliche-Mapuche are the southern partiality of the Mapuche macroethnic group in Chile and Argentina. Located in the Zona Sur, they inhabit both Futahuillimapu ("great land of the south") and, as the Cunco or Ve ...
.
During the early 1970s Chaihuín was considered a hot-bed of the
Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), but with limited actual anti-government activity.
In 2010 a new ferry service from the town of
Corral was inaugurated.
Demographics
In 2017 Caleta Chaihuín had a population of 156 inhabitants up from 36 in 2002.
The rural district of Chaihuín encompasses a larger area than the hamlet itself. Its population has grown from 206 in 1920 to over 800.
Notes and references
External links
* Detailed map of Chaihuín rural district.
Geography of Los Ríos Region
Hamlets in Chile
Populated places in Valdivia Province
Populated coastal places in Chile
Coasts of Los Ríos Region
South American sea lion colonies
{{LosRíos-geo-stub