Cáhuil

Cáhuil
Village
Cáhuil

Swans in Cáhuil
Coordinates: CL 34°28′53″S 72°00′42″W / 34.48139°S 72.01167°W / -34.48139; -72.01167Coordinates: CL 34°28′53″S 72°00′42″W / 34.48139°S 72.01167°W / -34.48139; -72.01167
Country Chile Chile
Region O'Higgins Region O'Higgins
Province Cardenal Caro
Commune Pichilemu
Salt hillock in Cáhuil

Cáhuil (Mapudungun: Place of seagulls, pronounced: [ˈkawil]) is a Chilean village located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Pichilemu, in the outfall of Nilahue Lake, in the O'Higgins Region. The economy is based on the production of coastal salt, oysters, and choros. Cáhuil Lagoon is a place suitable for fishing, swimming, and boat travel.

Salt deposits

The production of salt is a very old practise in the area. It is known that the indigenous people extracted salt in a very rudimentary way. Production has increased using modern methods. As of 1978, more than a 60% of the population of Cáhuil lives on the proceeds of salt production, in production not related to industrial enterprises.

To promote tourism in Cáhuil, the Municipality of Pichilemu created the "Salt Route", that takes the tourists to places where salt is produced. This tour starts in Pichilemu and includes Cáhuil, Barrancas, La Villa, El Bronce, La Palmilla, and La Plaza. Along the route are two rural ranches, "Oro Blanco" and "El Bronce".

Fauna

At least 46 birds species are found in the Cáhuil zone, many of them in danger of extinction. Some of them are the coscoroba swan, brown-hooded gull, and white-necked heron. The area hosts at least seven duck species.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cáhuil.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.