Located 126 km north west of Temuco and 575 km south of Santiago, the name means 'piece of dry land' in the Mapuche language. It is the main city in the northern part of the Araucanía Region.

It has 48.996 inhabitants and is located at the foot of the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta, beside the Río Vergara. Founded in 1553 by Pedro de Valdivia and destroyed several times by the Mapuche indians, it was re-founded most recently on December 7, 1862 by Cornelio Saavedra.

The traditional economic activities are farming and forestry. Nowadays fruit and horticultural production have also become important. Here you can visit the Museo Histórico, the Centro Cultural, the Plaza Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna, the Iglesia y Convento de San Buenaventura and the Centro Turístico El Vergel.