Chiloé National Park is a national park of Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, located in the western coast of Chiloé Island

Chiloé Island

Chiloé Island , also known as Greater Island of Chiloé , is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean...

, in Los Lagos Region

Los Lagos Region

Los Lagos Region is one of Chile's 15 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second largest island, Chiloé, and the second largest lake, Llanquihue.Its capital is Puerto Montt;...

 (region of the lakes). It encompasses an area of 430.57 sqkm divided into two main sectors: the smallest, called Chepu, is in the commune of Ancud

Ancud

Ancud is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region .-Geography:...

, whereas the rest, called Anay, is in the communes of Dalcahue

Dalcahue

Dalcahue is a port town and a commune on Chiloé Island, Los Lagos Region, Chile.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, the Dalcachue commune spans an area of and had 10,693 inhabitants; of these, 4,933 lived in urban areas and 5,760 in rural areas. At...

, Castro

Castro, Chile

Castro is a city and commune in the Chilean island of Chiloé Island. Castro is the capital of the Chiloé Province in the Los Lagos Region. It is Chile's third oldest city in continued existence...

 and Chonchi

Chonchi

Chonchi is a Chilean town and commune located in Los Lagos Region. Chonchi is a truly rural community. The country people have given a distinct form to its valleys, hills and waterways...

. The greater portion of the Park is in the foothills of Chilean Coastal Range, known as the Cordillera del Piuchén. It includes zones of dunes, Valdivian temperate rain forests

Valdivian temperate rain forests

The Valdivian temperate rain forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed-forest ecoregion located on the west coast of southern South America, lying mostly in Chile and extending into a small part of Argentina. It is part of the Neotropic ecozone. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia...

, swamps, and peat bogs. A small portion, Metalqui, is an islet with an area of 0.5 sqkm. It is located between 42° 07' and 42° 13' south latitude

Latitude

In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...

 and between 73° 55' and 74° 09' west longitude

Longitude

Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....

 (see 42.10°S 74.02°W).

History

The park was created by Supreme Chilean Decree N° 734, in 1983. Its surface area has been reduced by more than 45 sqkm by populated land that was initially in the protected area.

Climate

The climate is wet and temperate, with average annual temperatures of 11 °C (52 °F) and abundant precipitation distributed uniformly throughout the year, varying according to the altitude. On the Pacific coast over 3000 mm (118.1 in) fall annually, while in the higher elevations of the Piuchén, nearly 5000 mm (196.9 in) fall, and on the rainshadowed eastern slopes, as little as 2500 mm (98.4 in) in annual precipitation is measured.

Flora

The predominant vegetation is that of the Valdivian forest

Valdivian temperate rain forests

The Valdivian temperate rain forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed-forest ecoregion located on the west coast of southern South America, lying mostly in Chile and extending into a small part of Argentina. It is part of the Neotropic ecozone. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia...

, a dense forest formed by perennial trees, shrubs and climbing plants. The rainforests are made up of evergreen southern beech (Nothofagus), and some native conifers, including the magnificent alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides). Extensive bogs and swamps are found in the hills. The Chilean rhubarb is also very common.