Los Ríos Region, Chile · South America
Valdivia sits on the route: 15 minutes from Las Gaviotas.
Valdivia is a city located in Los Ríos Region, Chile. With a population of 133,419, it is an important destination in South America.
On a road trip, Valdivia sits in Chile, where you drive on the right. It's in the America/Santiago time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Valdivia to your route.
Valdivia (Spanish pronunciation: [balˈdiβja]; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately 15 km (9 mi) eastRead more
of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla. Since October 2007, Valdivia has been the capital of Los Ríos Region and is also the capital of Valdivia Province. The national census of 2025 recorded the commune of Valdivia as having 110,980 inhabitants (Valdivianos), of whom 150,048 were living in the city. The main economic activities of Valdivia include tourism, wood pulp manufacturing, forestry, metallurgy, and beer production. The city is also the home of the Austral University of Chile, founded in 1954, the Centro de Estudios Científicos and one of Chile's three environmental courts.
The city of Valdivia and the Chiloé Archipelago were once the two southernmost outliers of the Spanish Empire. From 1645 to 1740, the city depended directly on the Viceroyalty of Peru, which financed the building of the Valdivian fort system that turned Valdivia into one of the most fortified cities of the New World. In the mid-19th century, Valdivia was the port of entry for German immigrants who settled in the city and surrounding areas.
In 1960, Valdivia was severely damaged by the Great Chilean earthquake, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, at magnitude 9.5. The earthquake caused c. 2 m of subsidence around Valdivia leaving large areas of former pastures and cultivated fields permanently flooded. Today there are various protected wetlands within the urbanised area of Valdivia as well as in its outskirts.
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Valdivia is located in Los Ríos Region, Chile, South America. The coordinates are -39.8142 latitude, -73.2459 longitude.
Valdivia has a population of approximately 133,419 people, making it a city in Chile.
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