Galvarino

Galvarino, a modest town in Chile's Araucanía Region, is notable as the first municipality on the Chilean mainland to officially recognize an indigenous language, having made Mapudungún — the language of the Mapuche people — a co-official tongue. Founded in 1882 beside the Quillem river as a military fort during the occupation of Araucanía, the town is named for the Mapuche warrior Galvarino and retains a predominantly Mapuche population, with Swiss colonial settlement also part of its history. Forestry, particularly eucalyptus and pine production, drives the local economy.

• Population11,996
• Nearest water from center0.8 km
• Nearest mountain from center7.1 km