Villarrica


Villarrica

(vē'yärē`kä), city (1992 pop. 27,818), capital of Guairá dept., SE Paraguay. It is a commercial center and shipping point in a region that produces cattle, tobacco, maté, cotton, footwear, leather products, sugarcane, lumber, wine, and citrus fruits. A large portion of the population is of German descent. Villarrica's cathedral is a pilgrimage center.

Villarrica

(vē'yärē`kä), active volcano, 9,338 ft (2,847 m), Cautín prov., S central Chile, in the Andes on the SE shore of Lake Villarrica, 60 mi (97 km) SE of Temuco. It is protected by Villarrica National Park. Glaciers cover 15 sq mi (40 sq km) of the volcano, and a 3.7-mi-wide (6-km) caldera formed during the late Pleistocene is a popular destination for hikers. One of Chile's most active volcanoes, eruptions have been recorded there since 1558, with violent explosions in 1964, 1971, and 2015.