Maullín River () is a river of Chile located in the

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( , 'Region of the Lakes') is one of regions of Chile, Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé Province, Chiloé, Llanquihue Province, Llanquihue, Osorno Provin ...

. The river originates as the outflow of

Llanquihue Lake Llanquihue Lake is the second-largest lake in Chile with an area of about , after Lake General Carrera which is shared with Argentina. It is situated in the southern Los Lagos Region in the Llanquihue and Osorno provinces. The lake's fan-like ...

, and flows generally southwestward, over a number of small waterfalls, emptying into the Gulf of Coronados.Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center
NM23-720-597 "Maullin River, Puerto Montt," ''Chile,'' Winter/Spring 1997
, (16 July 2007) The lower course of the river is a tidal

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 wetlands of Maullín stand out for their diversity of aquatic birds when compared to other locations of the Chilean coast. In the estuary Laguna Quenuir is the place known to have the largest diversity of bird fauna.

History

Franciscan Friar Francisco Alvarez Villanueva mention in 1780 Maullín River as the limit between the Spanish possessions and the " Cunco nation" to the north. The river was first explored extensively in 1856 and 1857 by the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy () is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense (Chile), Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Ori ...

officers Francisco Hudson and

Francisco Vidal Gormaz Francisco Vidal Gormaz (July 1, 1837 in Santiago, Chile – February 5, 1907) was a Chilean naval officer and hydrographer who explored the coasts of Chile including some river systems and lakes. During the 1850s he explored and surveyed several t ...

. The area around Llanquihue Lake was settled in the second half of the 19th century by German immigrants, who received land from the government in a scheme to encourage settlement in this area.

References

Rivers of Los Lagos Region Rivers of Chile {{Chile-river-stub