Description of the county of Arauco

The County of Arauco is the most southern in the region. Conformed by seven communes: Arauco, Curanilahue, Contulmo, Tirúa, The Poplars, Cañete and their capital, Lebu. This county has a surface of 5.423.6 km2 where they cohabit about 158 thousand inhabitants approximately. Of these, the 12,7%pertenece to the ethnos Mapuche, becoming the county with bigger autochthonous population of the country.

The territory is characterized by the presence of straits coastal valleys next to the reappearance of the mountain range of Nahuelbuta, besides the existence of the lakes Lanalhue and Lleu Lleu, attractive lakes that attract to tourists' thousands in summer time. In front of the costs of Tirúa one of the three islands of the region, Blunt Island, the one is glimpsed which administratively belongs to the provincial capital, Lebu. Accessible through boats or light planes, this National Reservation is inhabited for less than a thousand personas,quienes they live for the most part off the agriculture and the fishing.

The county of Arauco is quite privileged since it possesses leafy native, concentrated vegetation mainly in the coast and in the precordillera of the Costa. Inside the range of species, it is possible to admire hazel trees, oaks, ulmos and cinnamon trees; besides araucarias, raulíes and mountain range cypress, among others. In smaller scale lengas is observed, laureles,tineos, lingues, coigües, lumas, mañíos, boldos, quillay and even ñires.

In connection with the fauna, the coastal sector shows the presence of some mammals like the sea wolf, pumas, foxes accuse you, chingues, rabbits, hares, coipos besides some birds like quail, turtledove, choroy, cachaña, ducks, partridge, torcaza, mandola, tucuquere, cahuil and gull franklin. They exist other species that are observed, which traffic for the area in address to The Andes, I eat the black carpenter and the condor for example.

Climate

The county of Arauco possesses a mainly rainy winter and a dry summer that it doesn't overcome the three months of duration. However in good years the alone rains will be limited to the months of May to September

Economy

The county of Arauco centers its development in the proliferation of the productive activities related with the handmade fishing, the forest company, the industry silvoagropecuaria and especially the tourist one. It also has a special point the mining activity that although he/she has gone losing importance in the region, in the County Arauco the only 2 underground locations of coal still exist in exploitation, in the country. The coal is the mineral that for the most part is extracted in the area, representing the provincial quota around 46% of the national production.

In the agriculture, the county is characterized by the presence of peasants that habitually appeal to traditional they plant as potatoes and cereals; among these last ones it highlights the wheat, the oat and some leguminous ones. Equally a percentage not smaller, It practice the shepherding.

In the related with the extraction of products of the sea, the county along its coast has eight creeks of fishermen. Among those that Tubul highlights, Tip Lavapié and Lebu.
The forest environment is one of those most consolidated ones of the territory, because around 40% of the surface it is planted, I motivate for which companies of medium span like sawmills exist and others of more hierarchy that are devoted to produce cellulose and paper.
In the item of the tourism an increment has also been presented sustained in varied investments summoned in the riversides of the lakes and rivers, as well as in the coast of the county; which go from restaurants, hotels, cabins, rooms of meetings until a catamaran; infrastructure in general guided to the family segment.