In the summer water sports and sunbathing are popular activities in the warm temperatures experienced at the low altitudes ranging from 200 to 500m above sea level.

Fishing and rafting are popular activities in the various rivers in the area, which include the Toltén, Voipir, Trancura, Llancahue and Lincura.

This burial would have prompted settlers to move the city westward to its modern site, a place less prone to volcanic hazards.

Population growth and economic development has increased, due to a global reputation as a tourist destination for nature lovers, summer recreation and winter sports enthusiasts.

[citation needed] After the city's refounding, the Chilean government established a land sale program to encourage settlement and invited European, esp.

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Villarrica spans an area of 1,291.1 km2 (498 sq mi) and has 45,531 inhabitants (22,694 men and 22,837 women).

[3] As a commune, Villarrica is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years.