Lake Ranco () is situated in the

Ranco Province El Ranco Province () is one of two provinces of the southern Chilean region of Los Ríos. It is named after Ranco Lake shared by the communes (''comunas'') of Futrono and Lago Ranco. The lake is drained by the Bueno River, on which basin lie ...

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( , 'Region of the Lakes') is one of regions of Chile, Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé Province, Chiloé, Llanquihue Province, Llanquihue, Osorno Provin ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. Covering an area of 442 km², it is the largest lake in the

Los Ríos Region The Los Ríos Region (Spanish: ''Región de Los Ríos'', , ''Region of the Rivers'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, the country's first-order administrative divisions. Its capital is Valdivia. It began to operate as a region on October 2, 20 ...

and the fourth largest in Chile. It has approximately 25 islands and islets, but only 4 are currently inhabited. The lake is known for sport fishing and offers attractions like La Piedra Mesa and the Nilahue waterfall. Popular spots like Coique Beach attract both residents and visitors. The town of Lago Ranco, founded in 1941, is rich in native vegetation. Its name originates from the

Mapudungun language Mapuche ( , ; from 'land' and 'people', meaning 'the people of the land') or Mapudungun (from 'land' and 'speak, speech', meaning 'the speech of the land'; also spelled Mapuzugun and Mapudungu) is either a language isolate or member of the sm ...

, meaning "water with waves." Around 30 indigenous communities live along its shores.

Geography

The lake hosts a series of islands, with Huapi Island being the largest. Illeifa Island is owned by the affluent

Edwards family The Edwards family of Chile is of Welsh people, Welsh origin. They became financially and politically influential during the 19th century. They have played and still play a significant role in Chilean politics, especially as owners of its most inf ...

. The western half of the lake is roughly circular, while the eastern part features deep embayments. Geographically, the lake lies in the Andean

precordillera Precordillera is a Spanish geographical term for hills and mountains lying before a greater range, similar to foothills. The term is derived from ''cordillera'' (mountain range)—literally "pre-mountain range"—and applied usually to the Andes. ...

, the zone between the

Chilean Central Valley The Central Valley (), Intermediate Depression, or Longitudinal Valley is the depression between the Chilean Coastal Range and the Andes Mountains. The Chilean Central Valley extends from the border with Peru to Puerto Montt in southern Chile, wi ...

and the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

. The lake differs from other large lakes to the north and south by lacking a clearly visible large volcano in its surroundings. Administratively, Lake Ranco is split into three communes: La Unión,

Futrono Futrono (from the Mapudungun: ''Futronhue'', meaning "place of smoke") is a city and commune in southern Chile administered by the Municipality of Futrono. It is located in Ranco Province in Los Ríos Region, on the northwest shore of Ranco Lake ...

, and Lago Ranco.

Geology

During the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

, the lake depression was connected to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

as an embayment. During this period, a series of marine fossil-bearing sediments known as ''Estratos de Lago Ranco'' were deposited in the lake area. During the Quaternary glaciations, the lake depression was covered by a large glacier lobe of the

Patagonian Ice Sheet The Patagonian Ice Sheet was a large elongated and narrow ice sheet centered in the southern Andes that existed during the Llanquihue glaciation. The ice sheet covered all of Chile south of Puerto Montt plus the western fringes of Argentine Pa ...

, which left semicircular

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and Rock (geology), rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a gla ...

s around the lake's western shore.

Ecology

The invasive plant species ''

Limnobium laevigatum ''Hydrocharis laevigata'' is a floating aquatic plant, and is a member of the family Hydrocharitaceae. Common names include West Indian spongeplant, South American spongeplant and Amazon or smooth frogbit. This plant was introduced to North Ameri ...

'' is present in the lake, which is some of its southernmost locales in Chile. According to a 2018 report from the General Directorate of Waters, in 2009, the lake had an

oligotrophic An oligotroph is an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients. They may be contrasted with copiotrophs, which prefer nutritionally rich environments. Oligotrophs are characterized by slow growth, low rates o ...

level with a high degree of human intervention.Dirección General de Aguas
Evaluación de la condición trófica en cuerpos lacustres
2018

Economy

One of the main tourist attractions in the area is Lake Ranco's beaches, featuring two commercial hubs: an artisanal fair, a food center, and a water park open to both locals and visitors during the summer months. Lake Ranco, with its inviting shoreline, is becoming a tourist hotspot. The city provides various accommodation options such as lodging, cabins, and camping sites for tourists. Many locals and outsiders, drawn by the area's beauty, proximity to major cities, reliable internet, and electricity, are starting businesses that can be managed remotely from Lago Ranco.

Incidents

On 6 February 2024, former

President of Chile The president of Chile (), officially the president of the Republic of Chile (), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is responsible for both Government of Chile, government administration and s ...

Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (; 1 December 1949 – 6 February 2024) was a Chilean businessman and politician who served as President of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic Party (C ...

died after the helicopter he was piloting crashed into the lake during a storm.

References

External links

* {{Los Ríos Region rivers and lakes Ranco Lakes of Los Ríos Region