Temuco

Temuco tāmo͞o´kō [key], city (1990 est. pop. 211,700), capital of Araucania region, S central Chile, on the Cautín River. It is a commercial city dealing in cattle, lumber, wheat, and fruit. Temuco, founded in 1881, was the point from which the colonization of S Chile was begun, chiefly by German immigrants. The region was occupied by indigenous Araucanians on a hill near Temuco, the treaty ending the last serious Araucanian uprising was signed (1881). The city has suffered damage from earthquakes, most recently in 2010. Temuco has an Araucanian museum.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: South American Political Geography