The city is located 839 km from Santiago near the mouth of the Valdivia river and the port of Corral, on the Pacific Ocean. It stands at the confluence of the rivers Calle-Calle and Cruces, and has a population of 134,408 inhabitants.

The economic activities of the city are based on cattle raising, food processing, metallurgy, wood, mills, paper manufacturing, breweries and fur.

In the 1850s, a large contingent of German immigrants settled in the city, which makes it an interesting tourist center, since the traditions of the settlers are still kept up.

On a visit you can see the Muelle Schuster, the riverside market, the Museo Histórico y Antropológico "Mauricio van de Maele" (established in the Carlos Anwandter house), the Universidad Austral de Chile, the El Austral cultural center, the waterfront, the Cathedral, and the Torreón los Canelos built in 1781.