Temuco

Temuco is the capital of the Araucanía Region and of the province of Cautín, in southern Chile, some 670 kilometres from Santiago, in a valley shaped by the river Cautín between the Ñielol and Conunhueno hills. Founded on 24 February 1881 as a military fort, its name comes from Mapudungun and the Mapuche presence shapes its identity, from the wood carving and silverwork sold in the city to Cerro Ñielol, a natural monument with native temperate forest and a Mapuche ceremonial area. With around 238,000 inhabitants, it presents itself as ‘the city of sport’: it was a host city of the 1959 Basketball World Cup, and its Germán Becker stadium, with 18,100 seats, staged the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, the 2013 Junior World Rugby Trophy and three matches of the 2015 Copa América. Temuco has been designated American City of Sport 2027, a title that brings it into the Chilean representation in the ACES network.